Life with the Girls

In the Spotlight

2011-06-20T11:33:00.024-04:00

Kaitlyn was in a play put on by her class and another class. It was called "School Daze". She was selected to sing a solo. She was soooo nervous and that was reflected in her voice. But she did it and didn't forget the words, etc. I was so proud of her and she had a ball with it. Dirk videotaped it and burned it to a DVD for the teachers. Now some of the families have requested them so he's made 3 and has 8 more to go.

The play came a week after Kaits spent a week at home with her horrible hives. The timing couldn't have been better, if it had to happen. She would have been devastated if she had missed the play.

Singing her solo.

The beloved Mr. Herman. He will be greatly missed!

June 11 was the annual dance recital. The girls were in the same classes this year so it made it a little easier at the recital. They were the first number in the first show and we were able to leave right after that. Then, they had 2 numbers in the second show. Again, the first one and the second one after the intermission. It wasn't an overly hot day but the auditorium at the Middle School was HOT! Apparently, the AC wasn't working. Those poor girls who were in multiple numbers must have been exhausted! The recital lasted 3 hours but was very good. I was so proud of the girls, especially Renee. She had missed the rehearsal because she was sick so the first dance wasn't as good. But they did a great job for the second one. Renee was a little moody but she willingly danced and seemed to have a good time. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards so it was close to 9:30 before they were sleeping.

Miss Lori Williams, their CDT teacher. Both girls have had her for 2 years now.

Kaitlyn and Jaycee Karelus

Renee and Camryn Karelus

This is Miss Tara, their Acro/Hip-Hop teacher.

The following day the first graders were getting their Bibles so I got up and walked to church while Dirk and the girls stayed home. Renee was still sleeping when I left before 8:30. She was a tired little girl.

This is their last week of school. They have half days through Thursday. Kaitlyn is very sad about the year ending and so am I. She has had an amazing year. I thought last year was awesome but this year has been every bit as awesome. She continues to blossom as a learner and has tons of friends. I am glad the year is ending for Renee though. It's been a tough year socially and the class is not very good behaviorally. She is looking forward to a better year next year. Academically, she has grown and I need to continue to foster that over the summer. Her reading skills are beginning to develop but they're not strong enough for her to read very independently. It will come, though.

Unwanted Visitor

2011-06-08T08:51:00.007-04:00

We had an unwelcome visitor at our home this morning. Her name is "THE MOMMY MONSTER" and she physically resembles me. But let me tell you, she is NOT who I want to be or who I want my children to remember me by! Here's what happened. Grab a cup of coffee, it might be long. (I just need to vent. Sorry!)

Last Thursday, Renee had a field trip to Tinker Park. Earlier in the year, her class went to the Strong Museum and she told me because she had been there lots of times she didn't want me to go. Fine. It turned out to be the same day as the 2nd. grade sing-a-long. Well, don't ya' know, come the week of the trip, she changed her mind. The tears started, "I want you to go" etc. She ended up being placed in a group with her teacher and I think she had an OK time. So, when the paper came home about this spring field trip, I signed up right away. The day of the trip arrived and although I was all set to go, she complained about going. It turned out to be a sunny day but windy and COLD. We were lucky if it hit 60. She was a grump most of the time and the other kids in our little group even asked why Renee was in such a bad mood. At one point, she said she didn't feel good but I hear that a lot when she's being a grump so I didn't take her seriously. On the bus ride home, she sat on my lap and we snuggled but she seemed OK. I thought for sure I would have a fight about her coming home with me but she told me goodbye in the hall and went back to her classroom. I ran my errands and life was good. WRONG! When she got off the bus, she said she didn't feel good and laid down on the couch. She felt warm so I took her temp. and it was 100.7. She slept for 1.5 hrs. and barely ate any dinner.

Friday she barely made it off the couch. Her throat hurt and her fever fluctuated all day, from 103 to 101. I took her to the doctor on Sat. morning and the rapid strep test came back negative but we went ahead and started her on meds. just in case. Because she had strep in May, they put her on something other than the amoxicillin, which she likes. The new stuff tasted nasty so it was more of a struggle to get her to take it, but NOTHING like Kaitlyn, thank you very much. Poor thing, she missed her dance rehersal and still felt lousy. At one point, her fever went up to 104.2! Sunday was a repeat. Monday she felt a little better but not much. The strep results came back negative so we stopped the Rx but kept doing the Tylenol/Motrin routine.

To top it all off, I came down with a horrible sinus cold on Sat. and wasn't much good to anyone on Sunday. I wasn't able to keep Nicole on Monday because I felt so lousy. But I never had the fever that Renee did. She never had the snotty nose that I did. If you combined both of our symptoms, we would have been REALLY MISERABLE!!

Tuesday she stayed home and played in the morning beautifully. But once again, barely ate anything. She fought with me to get in the tub and have her hair washed before bed but finally settled down and talked about going back to school.

So, this morning, she came downstairs at 7:40. grumpier than grumpy. She was mad because I didn't wake her up or carry her downstairs. Then she complained about being starving but wouldn't tell me what she wanted to eat. It was my fault, of course, because I didn't carry her downstairs or wake her up. I finally took her back upstairs and put her back in her bed and said we would start over. It took her a good 40 minutes to cooperate and she finally was dressed, ate a quick granola bar and was ready for the bus. She even let me brush her hair. But none of that happened without some tears, some yelling and a few spanks. I tell ya', that little girl sure does know how to push my buttons!! She is so stinkin' stubborn and grumpy. I can hardly wait for the teen years, to see what kinds of battles we have then.

This has been a tough year for Renee at school. She had a wonderful friend in Pre-K and they were so good for each other. Not to say that we never had our struggles because we certainly did, but at least she had a special friend while she was there. This year she walked into her Kindergarten class knowing NO ONE!! Her teacher is very sweet and nice but doesn't have the classroom management skills necessary for a well-behaved class and Renee doesn't like that kind of environment. She hasn't made a lot of friends and often complains that she doesn't want to go. Today she told me that another teacher in their building told them they were the worst kindergarten class. She is a rule-follower (Ha...isn't that hilarious!) and tries so hard to be a good girl. I'm praying that she'll have at least 1 friend in her first grade class and a better structured learning environment.

Memorial Day marked the 7th. year since Dad passed away. We headed to the lake after school on Friday and knew going into the weekend that we would have to spend at least one night in the cottage. We got there around 7 and I quickly cleaned the bedrooms and bathroom plus the front of the cottage. Kaitlyn slept on the top bunk and Renee was on the bottom. It was close to 10:30 before Renee finally settled down. She didn't want to sleep there, she wanted to sleep on the top bunk, she wanted to sleep in the trailer (which was still on the basketball court), she wanted to go home, etc. I was in tears because frankly, I didn't want to stay there either. I have not spent a night in the cottage since the night we found Dad and it was just a little too painful. So I was ready to take her home and bag the whole weekend. Dirk was the voice of reason and managed to talk some sense into her and she finally fell asleep. We repeated that scenario the next night too but at least then she was willing to sleep in our bed until we went to bed.

Dirk and Jack Baker attempted to move our trailer onto our lot but were unsuccessful. It was too swampy across the road, where the tractor needed to be. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. But Jack called me this morning and said we'll all set to go now. He moved it yesterday and he wanted my little girl to know she could sleep in her own bed now.

As the day has gone on, I have worried about Renee and her emotions. She was crying on the bus but I hope it was short-lived. Today they were going to start handprinting white t-shirts and it was her day to take a special book for the teacher to read, along with a special snack. She choose cheese balls so she had a big plastic container of them, along with her backpack that I swear weighs 30 lbs. I should weigh it.

Thanks for letting me vent. I will post another day and include pictures from Kaitlyn's theatrical debut and their upcoming dance recital.

Mother's Day Recap

2011-05-18T21:05:00.013-04:00

Mother's Day was not the most memorable this year. The day before, Renee started complaining of a sore throat and had a fever in the afternoon. Kaitlyn and I were planning on attending her friend's first communion and Dirk wasn't home so Renee ended up going with us, in spite of her fever. She was pretty chipper during the party afterwards, though. Sunday morning Kaitlyn started complaining that her throat hurt too. She also had a fever. So I stayed home from church with them and then Dirk came home so I could go and help in the first grade Sunday School class. We went to Grandma Ann's for dinner at 2. The girls were in their jammies still. Do you think I could get one nice picture with my 2 children? Guess who wouldn't cooperate?
At least I didn't have to cook. My gift is a clothesline, which hasn't come yet. I asked for one last year but got scrapbook stuff instead. Don't get me wrong, I loved the scrapbook stuff and am using it but it doesn't help me save money or energy.

I took the girls to the doctor on Monday morning and they confirmed what I was suspicious of: strep throat. I love that Wegmans has free antibiotics! Renee does AWESOME with her medicine. It usually takes her less than 10 seconds to drink it. Kaitlyn showed great progress with her chewable tablets but required saltines to do them. She could do it within minutes.

7 days into the amoxicillan, Kaitlyn started having an allergic reaction. It started with hives on her neck and then spread to the groin. She also complained that her hands hurt and she couldn't make a fist. So it was back to the doctor. Diagnosis: serum sickness. No more amoxicillan for her! The doctor prescribed a steriod to help dry up the hives. The other night her back was raw and she was covered with hives. Poor kid!

Did I mention that she is HORRIBLE at taking medicine? It usually takes her 20-30 MINUTES to take 2 tsp. The steriod is horrible tasting so I called the office in the morning and got it switched to tablets. When she took it that night with chocolate pudding, she didn't do a whole lot better. She gets so worked up about it and instead of just eating it, she cries and dilly-dallies and drags it out. I have NO patience left after 10 minutes of this nonsense!! Today she mixed it with yogurt and was CHEWING it like it was a steak. I had even chopped the tablet in my food chopper so there was nothing to chew!!

I decided last night that it's times like this that I really hate being a mom. I hate that my daughter is miserable with itching but yet won't take Benadryl to make it get better. I hate that this new steroid has a side effect of "difficulty sleeping" so my daughter is awake in the middle of the night and crying because she wants to sleep. I hate that she can't take medicine without tears and I don't have the patience to endure it.

Here's another story to add to my dislike of motherhood. I needed to go to Target and Renee wanted to tag along. Not my plan but I said OK. She needs a new umbrella so while we were there, we looked at some. We tried opening and closing them and the one she wanted was just too difficult for her to operate. I told her we would try another store on another day. Well, that was NOt acceptable to her. So she proceeded to push me, hit me and pout. She kept muttering, "I want to get an umbrella." Our next stop was Wegmans and the behavior continued. On the way out she saw some umbrellas and had a fit that I wouldn't stop to look at them. Here's our conversation on the way to the car:

R: I don't like you very much right now.
M: I don't really like you right now either.
R: I wish you weren't my mother.
R: I hate you. You're mean to me.

Blah, blah blah. She did apologize when we got home and all was forgiven but she did tell me one more time, in case I forgot, that she wants an umbrella. That child is relentless!

Kaitlyn is looking better but will still not be going to school tomorrow.

On a postive note, I started babysitting Nicole this week. She is such a good little girl: she only cries when she's tired or hungry. She's only 3 months old so is tiny, especially next to Alex. I had both girls today and they were great. I also watched Makaela for around 6 wks. every Tues. and Thurs. morning. Her last morning was this past Tues. She's 4 months old so was a little more work than Alex. At one point they were both crying and hungry. Luckily, it only lasted for 30 minutes. I'll keep Nicole until the school year ends. Makaela is a sweetie, too so I enjoyed watching her.

Renee got glasses on April 1. She looks absolutely adorable in them.

Lest I Forget

2011-03-29T09:57:00.005-04:00

There are some things in life that you just don't forget, or can't forget. I have several of those experiences.

Dec. 6, 1981 I was a junior in high school and my best friend called to tell me a girl in our German class, Amy Smith, had been brutally murdered the night before, along with her boyfriend, Steve Rosenthal. Robie Drake, a senior, was the murderer. I will never forget the feeling of shock and the horrible silence that ran through the halls of NTHS.

March 1982 Dan Welchoff, a senior at my school, died during an inddor soccer game. Once again, the horrible silence of grief that filled the halls of NTHS. Grief counselors just didn't exist back then.

Jan. 1986 I was a junior in college when the space shuttle blew up.

Sept. 11, 2001 If you were alive on that day, you will always remember where you were when you first heard of the terrorist attacks. It was such a horrible thing....the images of planes flying into the towers and their eventual collapse will forever be stuck in my mind.

May 28, 2004 Hearing Dirk's words, "Dad's down in the shop. I'm going to get Les." I will NEVER ever forget that day and all of the pain and sorrow that went along with it. The visuals are still there, too. But the Lord has taken the sting of their pain away.

But I have many happy memories,too. Memories that I don't WANT to ever forget.

June 30, 1999 The day Dirk asked me to be his wife.
June 30, 2000 The day Dirk and I got married.
Sept. 26, 2002 The day Kaitlyn joined our family.
Aug. 25, 2004 The day Renee completed our family.

I don't ever want to forget the feeling of utter exhaustion and exileration as I held my precious daughter for the very first time. She was so helpless and yet so strong. Perfect in every way. I don't ever want to forget the feeling of accomplishment after I delivered Renee without the assistance of medication. I felt like I was Super Woman. (OK, she dropped out of me, but that's beside the point.) The feeling of exhaustion wasn't there but the exhileration was just as strong.

I don't ever want to forget the little noises my babies made or the sweet smell of their skin after their bath, mixed with Purex Baby laundry soap. Or the softness of their skin against mine. Even the middle-of-night feedings really weren't that bad. I don't want to forget the closeness that a mom feels to her baby as she is nursing her. Watching Grace and Alexandra these past few months has reminded me of how much I don't want to forget. Their first reactions to solid foods, first words, first steps.....I remember Kaitlyn's first sweet potatoes but not Renee's. I remember Renee's first steps but not Kaitlyn's. It bothers me that I can't remember everything about them but I also know that that is why I kept a scrapbook of their first year. I tried to keep track of those little details so that when life marched on, I could reflect back on those days.

I have loved just about every moment of being a mom. Both girls have given me trouble....they are not perfect as I first thought. They are human. But they are precious to not only me, but to their Heavenly Father. I have learned so much about faith through my children. I remember one Sunday when Kaitlyn was just a few months old. I was nursing her and she had fallen asleep on me. I was so overwhelmed by the love I felt for her but was reminded that as much as I loved her, Christ loves her (and me) even more, to the point of death on a cross. How can anyone deny that kind of love?

Both of the girls have invited Jesus into their heart. They did so at the lake, during Family Camp. It is exciting to see that innocent prayer begin to take root and grow. Renee has a tenderness about her that causes her to want to pray for others; her teacher, the other children in her class, the people of Japan, etc. I don't want her to loose that sensitivity.

So, lest I forget what is happening in our lives now, I need to blog more, continue to scrapbook and record those things that are precious. This middle-aged mama will one day be an old lady with grown children and I won't be able to remember the ups and downs of life with 2 girls.

Time to Catch-Up

2010-11-30T10:27:00.006-05:00

I have recently reread some of my old posts and have been amazed at the changes these 2 little girls have gone through. So I decided it was time to play catch-up. So here goes....it might be long, it's been a while!

Last September 2009 meant first grade for Kaitlyn and Pre-K for Renee. Kaitlyn had the absolute BEST teacher in the whole wide world. Yes, even better than both her parents combined. She was phenomenal!!! Kaitlyn grew so much academically but never felt overwhelmed. She blossomed as a reader and a writer. She loved every minute of first grade!!!

Renee still had some issues. Imagine that! I had worked it out with a friend that we would carpool and save us each a trip to the church. Renee had other plans. The first day Becky picked her up, she refused to get in her car. I had to physically force her into the booster and it took both adults to seatbelt her in. She's a strong littler bugger. I felt like the worst mom in the world, as I was left crying in the driveway. I won that battle but decided Renee won that war. It wasn't worth it to me to struggle with her like that again. So, I picked up Katie every Wed. and made my daily trips to the church. 6 out of 7 days we went there. As it turned out, Renee did eventually ride with Becky willingly in the springtime.

Renee's Pre-K class was 4 mornings a week. She loved school most of the time but gave me a hard time about going, getting dressed and getting her hair combed. Sometimes we combed it at school in the hallway. When I would ask her what she did at school, her response was often the same. "Nothing you need to know about." I stopped asking. She spent most afternoons playing in her room with her Polly Pockets or My Little Ponies. Some days, I would go up the stairs and she would quickly close her door. "Don't come in my room." At the end of the day, her room would be trashed with toys and then she would be so overwhelmed that the tears would start. "I can't clean it up by myself!"

She met a new friend and loved when she could have play dates with her. They were like 2 peas in a pod. We went to SeaBreeze with the friend's family in June and both little girls showed up wearing long pants (it was cool that evening), a pair of shorts over them, a t-shirt and sweatshirt and a hat. It was almost like they had secretly called each other to plan their outfits. Did I mention that nothing matched either?

Another thing that Renee did frequently was take a stuffed animal to school or church. She doesn't have 1 favorite lovey. She spreads her love out. One week it will be one animal, the next a different one. Same thing with her blankets. Kaitlyn has 1 favorite bunny and 1 blanket and they have been consistent since she was 6 months old. She's predictable. Not so with Renee!!!

We welcomed Grace and Alexandra into the extended Ziegler family in January and March. I had the honor of watching them once in a while in the spring. One day in May I had both of them and survived quite nicely.

I went to a scrapbook retreat in April and came home refreshed and a little more caught up on the family albums. Dirk and the girls survived very well without me!

In June, both of the girls danced in their dance recital. Kaitlyn was in two numbers: jazz and ballet. Renee did a tap number. Their costumes were adorable and they both did a great job.

Dirk and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on June 30. We left the girls with family and went to Skaneateles Lake for 2 days. We stayed at the historic Sherwood Inn and enjoyed walking around the town, admiring the houses and enjoying being together. We had some great meals too. The girls had a great time and didn't seem to even miss us. (This was the FIRST time Dirk and I have ever gone away without them. They had NEVER slept over at anyone else's house even!)

Summertime meant lots of swimming in the Faro's pool and lots of days spent at the trailer. I was amazed at how well they both did in the pool. They had taken swimming lessons at the high school in the spring and it had paid off. Renee loved the lessons and did 2 sessions: Kaitlyn not so much. She only did 1. Each girl had 1 little bout of swimmer's ear but that was quickly taken care of. We had a wonderful summer and hated to see it end. I was in charge of Getaway Camp so that brought some new responsibility. Luckily the girls are older now so it was relatively easy. The week after camp we headed up to Butterfield Lake in the Alexandria Bay area for a few days with very good friends. They own an island and have built a beautiful cottage on it. It was so relaxing....I read books and the girls entertained themselves while Dirk helped to build a bunkhouse. It was so nice to not have to worry about meal-planning, either. We spent one afternoon in Alexandria Bay and toured Boldt Castle. Even the girls enjoyed that.

It was nice to get back into the routine of school in Sept. Kaitlyn once again has a phenomenal teacher!!! She absolutely LOVES school and all aspects of it! She's such a social butterfly so to be back with her friends is great. She is being challenged and loves it! One of her spelling words this week is influenza. Her recent report card was OUTSTANDING!!!

Renee is equally thrilled with school. Her teacher is very nice and sweet. In fact, when I tell people who her teacher is, that is exactly what everyone says. "She's so sweet!" I would like to hear someone say what a great teacher she is but I guess it's OK, since it is Kindergarten and not AP physics. Every night Renee prays for her teacher, that her knees will be healed. She hurt both of them this past summer and can't get down on the floor with the kids. Renee also prays for the children who have trouble making good choices. Suprisingly, she is not one of them. In school, she is the model student.

Renee has made soooo much progress since last year. This summer I was getting worried because she had several potty accidents. That child can hold her pee all day but when the floodgates open. look out. That was the problem this summer. She would hold it and hold it until it started dripping out and then she had NO control! She's not one to try to pee either. So the first week of school I was a nervous wreck. But, as of today, she is accident-free. YIPPEE!! There are days when she runs in off the bus so I know she hasn't gone at school but sometimes she'll tell me she actually went there.

Another huge step with Renee is the number of melt-downs that she has. She doesn't complain about picking up her toys anymore. She sits in the chair in the morning and lets me fix her hair. We pick out her clothes the night before and she usually sticks with that choice. Her socks don't always match the outfit but I don't sweat it. Sometimes she picks out her entire outfit and I let it go....I figure the color choice will make her teacher smile. The stuffed animals stay home now, although she still spreads the love out to them at night. It's almost as if she said to herself, "I'm 6 now. I go to school. Enough of this nonsense."

Another indicator that Renee is growing up. I signed up to volunteer in her classroom. Her response: "I don't want you to. It's too embarrassing." She has since decided I can come in every other week and that will be OK. She brought home a volunteer sign-up for an upcoming fieldtrip and told me she did not want me going. "I've been there tons of times and you went with me last year. I'll be OK without you." Thankfully, Kaitlyn still likes me to do things with her class. :)

Kaitlyn had an expander put into her mouth this fall. Our first experience with an orthodontic bill.....hopefully our last too. But I'm not holding my breath. She has done great with it. It bothered her at first but only took a few days to get used to. On the mornings that she had to see the orthodontist Renee got on the bus down the street. She loved doing that. Another day Kaitlyn was home sick so she got on all by herself. It never fazed her.

Dirk has a heavier course load this fall. He has a bunch of clowns in a few of the courses so it's a little more stressful. A week ago, we were in church and he wasn't feeling well. He sat down and was feeling some discomfort in his chest. So he told me he needed a doctor (although I couldn't hear what he said) and got up and moved to the front of the sanctuary, where the double doors are. He figured it would be easier for a doctor or someone to help him back there and less disturbing to the service. The doors were open but he barely made it through them when he started swaggering and collapsed to the floor. I immediately ran to him, as did a few other people, including a nurse and a doctor. He had a slight seizure then. The ambulance was called and they took him off to the hospital. Meanwhile, people moved into the pew to sit with the girls who witnessed this all. They were pretty scared. But they were well taken care of the rest of the day as Dirk and I spent the day in the ER. They did bloodwork, a chest e-ray and couldn't find anything. But they kept him overnight and did a stress test and an EEG the next day. Nothing!! He was discharged Monday evening. He followed-up with his doctor who prescribed something for heartburn and told him it was a classic case of "church faint". (I can't remember the medical term...vaso-something.) He's fine now.

I had my first case of strep throat a few weeks back. I spent an entire weekend in bed and it was a gorgeous Indian-summer weekend, or so I've been told. When I went to see my doctor, I wasn't even in their records anymore. I hadn't been there for 10 years. Thankfully I'm usually pretty healthy. I have a physical scheduled in a few weeks.

Our iMac crashed a few weeks back so we got a new one. It came the day before Thanksgiving. Hopefully we didn't loose all of our pictures from the old one!!! I had over 4500 photos on it. Dirk took our external hard drive to the place that we took the computer and they loaded all the info. onto it. Now we just have to load it onto the new computer and see what they rescued.

The girls are in the same dance classes this year and it's nice. They both are enjoying them. They have ballet on Wed. and an acro/hip hop class on Sat. Last year Kaitlyn danced for 2 hrs. on Thursday nights and it was too much for her, after being up late on Wed. for church. So we decided that we would spread it over the 2 days and it's working.

Renee FINALLY lost her first tooth this month. She was soooo excited when she got off the bus because she hadn't realized the tooth was even loose. It fell out later that evening when we were eating pizza. (She had wiggled it all during school and dance class that night.) The toothfairy brought her a silver dollar and left the tooth behind so it can go in her scrapbook.

I babysit Allie every Thursday and Friday. She is such a delightful little girl and provides me with my baby-fix. Once in a while I watch Gracie and she is a sweetie as well. They are 2 months apart.

When we get the photos put back onto the computer, I'll upload a few of my favorites from summer. Dirk took some beautiful ones at LCC, on the haybails in the field.

And I promise to do a better job keeping current with this blog. I hate to write or journal but if I don't, I will forget about this season in my life and I don't want to forget it. It will be gone before I know it!

August in Pictures

2009-09-01T11:17:00.013-04:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from August. I just unloaded the memory card....only 330 pictures!!! Don't worry, I won't post them all. But there are a lot here.

The Oviatt and Sipes children created a HUGE castle in the sand box. I think half of it ended up in our trailer.....HATE that sandbox!

LOVE this picture!!

I baked a blueberry pie and was it ever good!!

We went to an Amish farm during GetAway Camp.

Dirk was up early one morning, taking pictures of the dining hall before they tore it down. He captured the sunrise. I prefer to watch it set. :)

Dirk took Renee out to breakfast on her birthday, Aug. 25.

The Dining Hall Demolition

Summer Update

2009-08-04T10:00:00.003-04:00

I thought I would give you an update on our summer thus far. Don't hold your breath for any pictures.....they were all wiped off my memory card. I had pictures from Father's Day, Dirk's birthday, our last days with Ethan and Family Camp but now they are GONE!!! I'm so sad about that but we just got a new camera so I'll have lots more pictures to post in the near future.

We have spent a lot of time at the trailer this summer. Last week we went up there on Thursday and just got back last night. We'll be home until Thursday of this week and then head back out there for Getaway Camp. The girls share a room and do great together at night. They love the freedom of riding their bikes all around! They don't even mind the seaweed in the lake.

Kaitlyn lost another tooth this past weekend. Her count is now up to 8!!! The front teeth are growing back in. Good thing she doesn't like corn-on-the-cob because she wouldn't be able to eat it!

Renee still has her days of being exasperating. We just had an episode this morning! Her birthday is 3 weeks from today.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for pictures in a few weeks.

Twinkle Toes

2009-06-14T17:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the girls had their dance recital. I wasn't sure how Renee would cooperate since she REFUSED to have her picture taken with the rest of the class a month ago. But I bribed her and she came through!! They had fun and were great! They danced to "I Love to Walk in the Rain".

Ta Da

The Grand Finale

Miss Stacy, their teacher and the owner of the studio

This and That

2009-03-26T11:08:00.011-04:00

I am soooo bad at writing my own posts but am really good at reading others. Why is that? Not much has happened in our lives the past month. I do have a picture or 2 to share though.

Back in Feb. we went to church in Albion, to hear John preach. That morning Renee was having some "issues", which happens less frequently, Thank You Lord! I was in the shower and she kept opening the shower door. Then she went downstairs and trashed her bed. She pulled off everything, including the mattress pad! After that, she was fine. Still can't figure that child out! Good thing I don't have to figure her out in order to love her! She is still my #1 snuggler!

Just last week I stayed home from church with Renee because she had the stomach bug. Kaitlyn was a very nice big sister and had shared it with her. (Poor Kaitlyn.....she got sick while at school and a week later we are dealing with the emotional scars that left.) Renee has been wiped out with this bug. Luckily the vomiting only lasted for 8 hours or so but the fatigue and lack of appetite has lingered. Wednesday she didn't want to eat dinner and fell asleep on the couch at 5:30. I carried her up to her bed at 7 and she slept in her clothes until 2am. Then she woke up and wondered why she didn't have her pj's on. She was awake for a little while but finally was able to go back to sleep until 6:45. Then she was starved (and grumpy).

Kaitlyn has been complaining of a stomach ache. But like I already said, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she got sick at school. I have let her stay home 2 different days when the complaining turned to tears and once she knows she can stay home, she is fine. I need to toughen up, I know.

Dirk is experiencing a lot of stress at work, due to proposed budget cuts that involve teaching positions. His job is not in jeopardy but there are some in his department that aren't so lucky.

Renee gets a magazine called High Five. It's put out by Highlights. She loves getting it and immediately wants to read it from cover to cover. There is always a recipe idea. Some of them are good, others not so good. But she is always anxious to try them. One month the recipe was for "Bear Bread" so I made some dough in my bread machine. Then we let it raise and shaped it into bears. Both the girls had a ball doing this activity and they tasted great too.

Kaitlyn's been losing teeth this winter. She lost her bottom 2 last spring and around Christmas she starting losing the top 2. Right now she has 4 holes in her mouth!

I love her hair like that!

This was her spring school picture:

My New Love

2009-02-05T13:42:00.006-05:00

Many of you already know that I started babysitting in Jan. It was such a God-thing how I even met the mom! One night Ginny called me and told me someone in her small group had a friend whose daughter was looking for a sitter. Ginny knew I had done some babysitting a few years back so she thought of me. (When I babysat before, Kaitlyn had just turned 1; the baby was 6 wks. old. Then I got pregnant with Renee a few months later...tiredness, morning sickness, etc. Let's just say it wasn't the most positive experience.) I hadn't even considered the possibility but we're redoing our kitchen this summer so the extra money would be nice. Well, I called the mom and we hit it off on the phone. Then she and Ethan, her 5 month old son, came over to meet me. Once again we just clicked. So I accepted her job offer. He came one day before Christmas for a few hours as a trial run and did great.

Emily is a school psychologist in Dirk's district and her husband is serving in the army in Iraq. He started coming on Jan. 6 and it's been great! He gets to our house around 8:00, give or take 15 min. and is here until 4:00 or so. He does stay late on Tues. but just for a few weeks while his mommy has a class. His daddy was home for 2 weeks so I only had him a few days during that time. He just turned 7 months old on Sat. He's the sweetest little guy...we all love him.

The first day Ethan was here Kaitlyn was all excited about playing with him when she got home from school. Well, when she got off the bus Emily was pulling out of the driveway because Ethan had his 6 month dr. appointment. Kaitlyn was so mad...she stomped up the driveway and the first thing she said to me was, "You promised!" She did forgive me when I explained how I didn't know about the appointment, etc. The next day she got to play with him. Renee does really well with him too, especially considering she hasn't been around too many babies. He is very happy and cheerful, even when he's teething. It's been such a great fit for all of us and helps me get my "baby-fix". He goes with me when I take Renee to school, to Morning Moms, any place I need to go. He almost always falls asleep in the car but will also sleep in the pack-n-play. (That other baby would only sleep in the swing and her disposition was not quite as cheerful!) If Dirk gets home early enough he gets to play with him too. He likes having some extra testostorone in the house. I'm not quite sure exactly how much testostorone a baby has but I don't want to burst his bubble.

Here are a few pictures of my new love:

How's This One??

2009-02-01T14:42:00.005-05:00

A very dear friend told me my last background was hard to read. So Kaitlyn helped me pick out this one. I hope you like it.

Last Sunday I stayed home from church with Renee who was coughing a lot. Today Dirk stayed home with Kaitlyn. She woke up at 3:15 Sat. morning and started crawling in bed with us. Dirk and I heard it coming so I quickly grabbed the garbage can and she got most of it in the can. But a little got on our sheets. So my dear husband was stripping the bed at 3:15 as I was scrubbing out the garbage can. I spent the rest of the night in Kaitlyn's bed. Then yesterday she spent the day in her jammies on the couch. She actually napped off and on. I finally got some Tylenol in her and her fever went away. This morning she threw up a little more but I think she's on the mend. She HATES taking any sort of medicine so I'm glad I only had to force one dose. Renee on the other hand, I think that girl prays for a fever just to get the Tylenol. She LOVES it! Just yet another difference between the two.

We got the Kindergarten registration packet in the mail yesterday. It's hard to believe the Renee is actually eligible for school come Sept. I cannot picture her in Kindergarten and glad we have the option of keeping her home one more year. She is not ready for school (and I'm not either!) and because her birthday is late Aug. we'll send her to Pre-K at Pearce and then school the following year.

Today is Feb. 1 and all my life I've always known that that is a special day for my parents. It was 62 years ago today that they got married. As far as I'm concerned, they still are, just celebrating in separate locations. So Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. I miss you Daddy and look forward to seeing you someday.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-31T14:42:00.003-05:00

I was tagged on Facebook with this and thought I would include it here too.

1. I'm the youngest of 5 children.
2. I have a very keen sense of smell. It can be a blessing or a curse.
3. A day doesn't go by that I don't miss my Dad. It will be 5 years on Memorial Day that he's been gone.
4. One of my pet peeves is that some people never send thank-you notes for gifts received.
5. Another pet peeve is when people park in spots that are not parking spots.
6. My first job, beside babysitting, was cleaning motel rooms in Niagara Falls. It was a pretty gross job!
7. I was almost 35 when Dirk and I got married. He had just turned 36 the week before. I like to tease him and say he's much older than I.
8. I love snuggling with my children. I'll miss that when they outgrow it. Maybe they never will. :)
9. Dirk and I first met at Lighthouse Christian Camp when we were 13 or 14.
10. I love the smell of coffee beans but don't drink coffee.
11. I got my first white hair at the age of 22. Although my mom has beautiful white hair, as did her mother, I'm fighting it! I think it's a losing battle though.
12. I have donated my hair 2 times to Locks of Love.
13. Several of our friends sent their firstborn off to college this past fall. We sent our firstborn to Kindergarten.
14. I have several cousins that I have never met and probably never will.
15. All of my siblings live or work within a 2 mile radius of my house.
16. I never had a cavity until I was a month shy of turning 40. What's up with that?
17. I don't think my children even look like siblings, yet they're from the same gene pool.
18. I am very good at recalling dates of people's birthdays, events, etc.
19. I love to fly.
20. My kids talk about my Dad as if they remember him. Renee wasn't even born when he died so I guess I'm doing a good job at keeping his memory alive.
21. Some of my favorite places are Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Morainne Lake in the Canadian Rockies and Lighthouse Christian Camp.
22. I used to love to waterski. I haven't done it for over 10 years. Would I still be able to get up?
23. I received both my BS and MEd. from Roberts Wesleyan College.
24. I really admire single parents. Parenting is hard enough but when you have to do it by yourself....yikes.
25. I want my girls to accept Jesus Christ as their savior at a young age.

Ziegler Family Christmas

2009-01-16T21:39:00.005-05:00

Here's the whole crew, with the exception of Aaron and Christine. They had already been here for a week and were at Christine's parents on Long Island.

This year we rented the new lodge at Union Station Park, right behind Ginny's house. It was smaller and didn't have a fireplace but had an oven and the acoustics were better.

Mom and her children

The grandchildren and their spouses. What's with the thumbs up John and Ben?

The granddaughters. There's only 6 of them so they have to stick together. It cracks me up that Dana's kids are the same age as mine.

4 generations.

Grandma and her great grandchildren. I love Gabe's "smile". It makes me smile!

The white elephant gift exchange is always hilarious. This year it was no different. Mom even participated....must have figured the kids shouldn't have all the fun.

The year of the carved candle.

Is Brett practicing for "The Bachelor"? Will you accept this rose?

How are those toe socks feeling Jay? Bet they're keeping your toes nice and toasty.

Christmas Update Part 2

2009-01-14T21:40:00.006-05:00

Mom turned 82 on Dec. 18 so the family got together for a celebration. We got a lot of snow that day so not everybody could make it but it was fun to be together.

Kaitlyn's teacher made her hat. Everyone in the class got one.

The toothfairy made an appearance to our house on the 23rd. Good thing it was that day and not one day later. Someone would have been busy being Santa and the toothfairy. Renee actually knocked it out, but not on purpose. One minute they were just fooling around in the kitchen and it got bumped. The next thing I knew Kaitlyn was crying and the tooth was on the floor.

On Christmas Eve we went to a family dinner at Legacy with my mom and Ginny and Harold. It was a very nice time and the price was perfect......free. The girls enjoyed the springrolls. After that we went to the candlelighting service at our church. They had battery-operated candles for the children 6 and under. Kaitlyn opted for the battery one, after a few minutes of wavering back and forth. I was pleased with her decision. I love looking around the sanctuary when the candles are all lit. It's so beautiful!

The girls were excited opening presents. They really got into picking out gifts for each other this year and couldn't wait for the other to open the gift they picked out. They were pretty pleased with the end results. Lots of loot. They each got Leapsters.....Kaitlyn was thrilled, Renee was mildly excited. But if Santa hadn't brought her one too, she would have protest so in the long run I'd rather have her mildly excited.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-11T13:00:00.008-05:00

I have a little bit of free time so I thought I would post about our Christmas. We got our Christmas tree on Sat. the 13th. of December. If we get it too early it's dead by Christmas Eve. We have a very dry house.

That's right, our tree came in a box. We decided to go artificial....we got a pre-lit, pre-shaped one and it's gorgeous!

The girls were big helpers when it was cookie-baking time. Both helped with a few different kinds.

Earlier in the month Santa made a guest appearance at dance class.

They also went to a Breakfast with Santa at The Legacy with Grandma Ziegler.

Renee enjoyed her Christmas party at school. Dirk wasn't able to come this year so it was just me. But that didn't bother Renee. Here she is singing with her 2 friends, Allie and Lilianna.

We celebrated with Grandma Ann early this year, as she was going to be out of town on the actual day. "Aunt" Barb was there but Uncle Marc had an emergency so wasn't able to come. Barb had a ball buying frilly things for the girls and they loved them. She got them beads to make necklaces/bracelets and pink and purple pj's to go under little tutus with feather stolls.

The biggest hit was the fleece robe Grandma made for each of the girls: Tinkerbell and Cinderella. She also made matching pillows with some extra fabric. Kaitlyn screamed when she opened hers.

We went to Dirk's work party/dinner with Santa. This was the first time EVER that Kaitlyn would sit on his lap. Renee still said no but at least she got close to him.

I will post some more from our actual Christmas morning and the Ziegler Family Christmas.

She Sang!

2008-12-24T12:40:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago the children at Pearce presented their usual Christmas musical. Beforehand, the 3-5 yr. olds sang "Away in the Manger" and "Go, Tell it on the Mountain". You may recall, Renee refused to sing or do the motions last year. But this year she actually participated, although her best friend Allie, who was standing right next to her, did not.

Photos

2008-12-12T14:08:00.004-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the finished living room. I love the way it turned out. It feels so cozy!

Dirk hung up a hook rack I got at Ikea (love that place!) back in Aug. Now the girls can hang their own coats up.

It doesn't really look it, but this wall is light brown.

Fall Recap

2008-12-01T22:23:00.007-05:00

The girls were excited about carving their pumpkins.

Kaitlyn loved scooping out the insides.

Renee didn't.

Yes, Dirk is using a saw to carve the faces. One of the benefits of him being a shop teacher......power tools!!

Renee was Sleeping Beauty (Bootie as she says) for Halloween. I thought for sure she would want the Cinderella costume but she insisted on Sleeping Bootie. Until Halloween day. Then she almost refused to put her costume on because she wanted Cinderella. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever figure her out or win!!

Once we got to school though, she was happy. Kaitlyn was TinkerBell for school, of course.

For "prick-or-preating" she was a monkey from African Lion Safari.

All ready to go to Aunt Ginny's to trick-or-treat with Gabe and Lauryn.

We were thankful for a very mild night....fall coats were enough.

Look at all their loot!

Dana and Anthony were in town for a concert with Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. Ron, Christine, Dirk, myself, Paul and Kim all went. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to!! So worshipful!

Our Thanksgiving was very different this year. We were to host Dirk's dad and step-mom but I came down with a stomach bug on Tuesday and spent most of Wed. (pie day) in bed. By Thursday I was OK to eat so we ended up going to the Cracker Barrell with them. The plan was to reschedule for Sat. but JC's step-mom passed away in Michigan so they all headed out there on Sat. morning instead. I still roasted the turkey for us to have but I didn't make anything else. Oh well, maybe next year.

I've also been busy painting the living room. I was so tired of white walls and have been wanting to paint it for a few years. So one day Renee and I finally went to Home Depot and bought the paint. I started it the Sat. before Thanksgiving.......probably not a good idea. I have most of it finished, except the piano wall. The front wall is a dark burgandy and the other wall are taupe with white trim. It looks great!!! I'm VERY pleased!! I'll post some pictures soon.

Kaitlyn has been wanting to get out the Christmas decorations so today we did that. She was actually helpful, carrying things down from the attic and arranging things. I can't believe she's old enough to do stuff like that!!

Playing Catch-Up

2008-10-27T14:37:00.002-04:00

I usually have good intentions for staying current but then somehow, life gets crazy busy and my good intentions fall by the wayside. Here are some pictures from my birthday and Kaitlyn's 3 days later.

The girls gave me an ipod shuffle.

We went to Friendly's for dinner.

Kaitlyn wanted a purple cake. This is what I came up with. She was thrilled.

Renee and I took a treat to school to celebrate her birthday.

She opened a few gifts before we headed to Chuck-E-Cheese for her "friend party".

She had invited her best friend Sophia and 2 girls from her class, Jenna and Sara. Sara lives diagonally from us so they ride the bus together.

Renee had a field trip with her class to Stokoe Farms. She had a great time playing on the activities and picking a pumpkin with her new friend Carlee. Her other new friend, Lily, didn't go so she was disappointed.

On Columbus Day Dirk took Kaitlyn to Whittier Farms to pick out her pumpkin. We had originally planned to go as a family but a particular 4 yr. old wouldn't cooperate and had to stay home.

A couple more images of fall:

Fancy Nancy

My Baby Love is 6!!

2008-09-26T22:11:00.002-04:00

Dirk used to (still does) call me "My Love" so when I was pregnant with Kaitlyn he called her "Baby Love". Today that little Baby Love turned 6. Let me share some memories about her arrival.

My due date with Kaitlyn was Sept. 21. I was barely 1 cm dialated when I saw the doctor a few days earlier but her decided he would induce me on Sept. 26. He was anticipating an 8# baby. I went to Strong around dinner time on Wed. the 25, to have my cervix "ripened". Whatever they put on me was a wonder drug, because the contractions started almost immediately. They weren't uncomfortable so I ate dinner and Dirk and I watched TV. The nurses kept coming in to check on me because the contractions looked pretty bad on their monitor. Later in the night they got bad and we realized it was the real deal.

I tried to avoid an epidural if I could (what was I thinking???) so got into the tub so relieve some of the pain. That helped for a bit. But then the contractions intensified. Bev was going to be my labor coach so Dirk called her and when she arrived I was about 8 cm. If I was going to get the epidural it had to be then. So I consented. Great decision!!! When it was finally time to push, I did so for about 2 hours. I was exhausted and couldn't do it anymore. So they got the vacuum out. That didn't work. Next came the forcepts and I think they literally ripped Kaitlyn out of me! Sorry for the graphics. Bev announced, "It's a girl!" and I couldn't believe it! When they cleaned her up and laid her on my chest I just sobbed and sobbed. I was so overwhelmed with love for this perfect little girl. We could tell right away she had curly hair. She weighed in at 8# 1 oz. and was born at 3:44 am. My doctor had wanted to induce me on the 26th. because he was on that day, starting at 6:30. But she came before he was on duty. So she was delivered by another doctor from the practice.

Here are some pictures of Kaitlyn through the years. I don't have any digital from her infancy.
She's 9 months old at Aaron and Christine's wedding. She loved Bunny then and still does!

Summer of 2005, not quite 3. Can those cheeks get any bigger?

Family Camp 2005

Bad hair day in Nov. 2006; she's 4.

She broke her elbow in Jan. '07.

At Amy and John's wedding, with cousin Joshua. Age 4

Taking time to smell the flowers on Easter, '07. Age 4.

Nursery School graduation, May '07

Her birthday in Pre-K, with Grandma Z.

She lost her first tooth, Feb.'08, age 5

First day of Kindergarten

Kaitlyn, you have brought so much sunshine into my life. You will always hold a special place in my heart as my firstborn. Just the mention of your name makes me smile. I love your imagination, your creativity and sensitivity. I love everything about you!! Thanks for being our Baby Love.

Look for pictures from her birthday party to come in the next few days.

Renee's First Day of School

2008-09-23T13:34:00.004-04:00

Renee started Nursery School last week. It was finally her turn and she was excited, although she did tell me a few times that she wasn't going to go. "Oh yes you are." She walked right in, found her cubby and never looked back. She has a few criers in her class but I am thrilled to say that she is NOT one of them!!! We did that enough last year in Sunday School and Morning Moms!

She even made a new friend, Lily.

I don't know any of the children or their moms so it's a little weird right now. I miss seeing all the familiar faces of pre-k kids/moms but that will change as the year goes on. I'll just have to get out of my comfort zone and introduce myself and hope they're nice.

We had some damage to our house when the remnants of Ike went through. Our power, phone and cable never went out but the wires were ripped off the house. RG&E put the wires back up and Dirk did the others. The top 1/3 of one of the maple trees snapped off, landing on the wires.

Yet Another Milestone

2008-09-03T21:15:00.009-04:00

First let me catch on some pictures from Renee's birthday party. We just had a small gathering of family for cake and ice cream. She loved opening her presents and Kaitlyn was a little Mother Hen, helping her. Her expressions and little comments kept us all laughing.

Kaitlyn gave her this Lite Brite and was more excited about it than Renee. I think she's played with it more anyway.

New flashy jeans.

Amy and John took her out for ice cream a couple of nights later. She enjoyed that. Sorry, I don't know how to link to another blog but Amy already told about that.

On another note, Kaitlyn started school today. She was so excited; she even woke up before her alarm went off. She got dressed, fed her fish and made her bed, all without me even knowing she was up. But I could tell she was nervous because she went to the bathroom several times. While she was brushing her teeth she looked in the mirror and started giggling. Then she said, "I look like a Kindergartner." Amy stopped in on her way home from work to watch the big send-off and Dirk got permission from his principal to come in late. We were all ready for bus 333 to arrive at 8:27. It was a few minutes late but not bad.

As the bus pulled away I said to Dirk, "That stranger just drove off with my baby and I don't even know her name." I later found out it's Sue. And yes, I cried. I started just watching Kaitlyn walk out to the red line (the "don't stand beyond this point" line) and then when the bus came into sight. She didn't know I was crying so that was good. But she did ask me to walk with her to the bus. I thought maybe the driver would tell me her name but she didn't. Kaitlyn climbed the steps and never turned around......she's all grown up now I guess.
A few of my friends all met at Black Creek Park to pass the time a bit. Renee had fun playing with her friends and we ended up meeting a little boy that will be in her Nursery School class.

When Kaitlyn got off the bus at 4:10 (it was supposed to drop her off at 3:41!!) she was all smiles and she couldn't stop talking about school and how much she loved it. I heard all about it for the next 30 minutes, including the part about the little girl who lost her playtime. We'll have to watch out for her. She did make a new friend, Sara. She actually lives across the street so they sat together on the bus, along with Sophia who is across the hall from them.

Happy Birthday Renee

2008-08-24T23:35:00.005-04:00

Renee is turning 4 in just a few minutes so I thought I would post a special blog about her arrival. My due date with her was Aug. 28 but she was a VERY active baby and when I saw the doctor in the afternoon on Aug. 24 I was already 4 cm dilated. He told me he would break my water the next morning, to call the hospital at 6:30 to make sure they had a bed. I stayed up watching the Olympics until 11:30 and then went to bed, having no contractions. My bag was ready to go for the morning.

I woke up at 12:40 with terrible back pain. I got up and started walking around the bedroom, timing the contractions. I finally woke Dirk at 1:10 and told him the contractions were pretty close together and that I was calling the doctor. The on-call doc (not mine. Mine went on call at 6:30 am.) told me to come on in. I called Bev because she was my labor coach and she told me to let her know when things were moving along, that she would come in then. Amy was also going to come in to see her first birth since she would be a junior nursing student.

We left our house at 1:30. In the car my contractions were only a few minutes apart. I remember looking at the big clock in the lobby at Strong at 1:45. Once I got upstairs I was in triage for a little bit. They checked me and I was 8cm. I requested my epidural and a few minutes later told them I needed to push. They checked me again and I was 9.5. They quickly rolled my bed to the delivery room, Dirk called Bev and said to hurry and I started to panic. "What do you mean I don't have time for the epidural?" I crawled up onto the new bed, the doctor broke my water and said I could push. 2 pushes later they announced we had a baby girl. I still can't believe how quickly she came!! Her official arrival time was 2:35am, weighing in at 8 pounds 8 oz. Bev and Amy got to the hospital about 15 minutes later and couldn't believe I was holding her. When I called my mom, who was staying with Kaitlyn, she couldn't believe I had already given birth. "But you just left the house at 1:30!"

Renee is my little snuggle-bug. She is such a Mommy's girl and can be the sweetest little thing. She is very easily entertained by herself; she loves playing Polly Pockets and Barbies and I often hear her talking in different voices as she is playing. She is very imaginative too. But as you know, she can also be very trying. She is determined! I keep praying that this will be to her advantage later in her life!

I can't imagine my life without my little Sweet Renee LouAnn. She has brought so much joy into our family, she makes me smile just thinking about her and keeps me on my knees.

Summer of 2005, 10 months old.

Family Camp 2005

She did NOT like Santa that year!!

But she sure did LOVE John!! This was on her 2nd. birthday (when we got into digital pictures.)

I love you Baby Girl!!!

Pictures

2008-08-24T23:17:00.008-04:00

Here are some of our pictures from African Lion Safari.

All ready for the adventure to begin. Notice that my girls have their "binoculars" so they can see better.

On the Safari train.

We watched the elephants go swimming.

Is this the guy from "Planet of the Apes"?

You can tell who this is!

We also watched an elephant show. The trainer was laying under the elephant......that is trust! Probably stinky too.

There was a baby elephant born on July 18, weighing in at 235 pounds.

Now for the monkeys.

I Survived

2008-08-21T09:23:00.003-04:00

I thought I would give an update on my single-parent experience. I am a totally spoiled-rotten mom who is so used to parenting with my husband. Dirk is so good at playing with the girls, entertaining them for hours, giving them their baths, snuggling with them at bedtime......the list could go on and on. I thought I was going to die without him for 11 days!!! He had a nice time in Idaho with his brothers but was glad to be home with his girls. And I was more than excited to have him home!! I knew I was in trouble when the girls started missing him the morning he left. "When is Daddy coming home? We like him more than you. ETC"

I tried to have something to do each day to help pass the days. One day we went to the museum but it was crazy busy with daycare groups and tons of kids. So that wasn't too fun. The girls got their hair trimmed and loved that. They played at their friends' one day and another day we had friends over for several hours. We also went to a birthday party (and froze because I forgot to take sweatshirts).

The highlight of our time without Daddy was going to Canada to see the Arcega's. All 4 kids had such a good time together, although Gabe didn't enjoy being around the 3 girls when they were playing house. Dana and I had some girl-time of our own at Ikea while Anthony took the kids to a park. They barely noticed we were gone. We also went to African Lion Safari and spent the day there. We saw an elephant show that was really good. The kids loved driving through the game reserve area and experiencing the monkeys climbing all over the van. We came out of there with our wipers intact. I'll post some pictures later.

Who Are These Children??

2008-08-03T18:30:00.004-04:00

Sometimes Kaitlyn and Renee are best of friends and play beautifully for hours. Other times they are enemies and torture each other. (Pinching, scratching.....preschooler forms of torture.) Right now the torture chamber is open for business!

Last week one day they played "camping".

They even packed some groceries, their pillows, blankets and jewelry for Sunday.

All ready for dance class.

During Getaway Camp Kaitlyn perfected her 2 wheeler riding skills. She had more freedom than she has ever had. One day I was up at the gazebos on the computer (that's the best place to pick up the wireless signals) putting some Tastefully Simple orders in. She had been playing at the playground and was supposed to be under her father's supervision. So, she rode over to me and asked if she could play PBS Kids. I told her no and she started throwing a fit. "You mean I rode all this way for nothing? That's not fair. You're so mean......." She got back on her bike and started riding away. I asked her where she was going and her response, with glaring eyes: "I don't have to tell you!" As you can imagine, that didn't go over well. We'll have to see how long it takes her to cop that attitude again.

Another morning Renee was so tired. She was crying at breakfast and I asked her if she bit her tongue.
R: "No. My teeth."
B: "You bit your teeth?"
R: "No, my waffle bit my teeth."

This morning when I woke Kaitlyn up, she rolled over and told me she thinks we should start growing peas. I later questioned her about that and she denied it. Must have caught her in the middle of a farming dream.

Last night you would have swore I was pulling out her toenails. We were in the driveway riding bikes. There was a bandaid on the driveway and I thought I picked it up before she saw it. Nope. (Let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago she felt the need to start a collection. Her choice: her used Barbie bandaids. GROSS!! I tried to explain to her how disgusting that is but she wouldn't listen.) Back to the present story....she saw the bandaid and started screaming bloody murder when I threw it in the garbage can. That was her favorite, she doesn't have any others like it, etc. It took her quite a long time to stop obsessing on that bandaid!!!!

Right now I have locked myself in the guest room with the computer while Renee is screaming. I won't help her pick up her room and it is a mess. Why is it that they can make the mess all by themselves but can't seem to pick it up without my help?? Did I mention that Dirk has been gone since Friday morning and isn't home yet?? He leaves Tuesday morning for a week in Idaho, to spend some time with his older brother who is turning 50 next week. Guess who will be praying for patience, A LOT???

Another Milestone

2008-07-15T10:44:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we were at the lake. I forgot the camera but figured we wouldn't do anything that was photo-worthy. WRONG!!! We had a great campfire with the Oviatt's on Friday night, went blueberry picking with them Sat. morning and had a picnic lunch at a local playground. Lots of missed pictures. I was kicking myself.

The highlight of the weekend for Kaitlyn involved her bike. She had a red crocodile bike that was definetely a boy's bike. She and Seth Oviatt (he's only 3.5) decided to trade bikes because his was VERY girly. They agreed on the trade and the parents were OK with it. Renee wanted to get in on the new bike too......that will be an ongoing struggle. Well, anyways, Kaitlyn decided to have Daddy take the training wheels off and he helped her to learn how to balance and start, etc. She really got the hang of it quickly. She's still a bit wobbly but keeps working at it and doesn't get discouraged when she doesn't go too far. So my little babygirl is now (sorta) riding a two-wheeler! Not to be outdone, Renee had to try a few times too.

Before we left for the lake on Friday we called Uncle Mike to see if he would watch Goldie for the weekend. At first Kaitlyn was a little nervous that Ben would flush her down the toilet but I reassured her that Uncle Mike and Aunt Bev would take very good care of her. (Years ago when Amy had a fish, he died while she was at camp. They flushed Bubbles and tried to substitute a different fish in the bowl. Ben squealed the minute he saw Amy.) I don't think there was any subbing going on this time.

More from Family Camp

2008-07-15T10:15:00.006-04:00

Kaitlyn's ready for the parade to begin.

Enjoying snowcones.

Mommy's girl

Dana and Anthony with Harold after he baptized them.

Some of Grandma's kiddos

The next few may be redundant but they're too pretty not to post.

During the closing chapel the 3-5 yr. olds sang. You may recall that Renee refused to sing at Christmas. This time she sang and did the motions and enjoyed herself. Kaitlyn sang her heart out!

Dwell on These Things

2008-07-13T22:09:00.008-04:00

Family Camp 2008: Dwell on These Things is but a memory now. It was a great week of spiritual renewal, rekindling relationships and making new memories with family and friends. Some of the highlights included watching the girls have a great time with their cousins Gabe and Lauryn. (2nd cousins actually....or is it first cousins once removed??) Gabe and Kaitlyn are 3 weeks apart and Lauryn and Renee are 3 months apart. Renee was Lauryn's little baby; she loved pushing her in the stroller and Renee loved it too. Kaitlyn loved playing with both Gabe and Lauryn.

Dirk and I celebrated our 8th. wedding anniversary during Family Camp. Dana kept the girls and Dirk and I headed to Medina and had a great lunch at an Italian pizza place. I can't remeber the name of it but they had great calzones. Then we found a quaint little coffee shop down the street and enjoyed some chai latte and tea. It was a cool, rainy day so the warm beverages tasted great. The kids didn't even seem to notice that we had been gone.

A highlight of camp for me is always the 4th. of July Patriotic Service. My favorite part is when the servicemen and women go to the front of the tabernacle. I was always so proud to see my dad representing the Navy. I don't think I'll ever be able to get through that service without a few tears.

Another highlight is the baptismal service. In 2006 Dirk and I were both baptized. This year Dana and Anthony were. I remember as a kid watching the service on Sunday afternoon. Now they do it on the 4th. in the evening. Once again it was a beautiful evening and the lake wasn't rough.

A favorite thing for the kids is the 4th. of July Bike parade. They decorated their bikes and were at the starting line ready to go. Last year we were a bit late so they had to join the parade already in progress. We made sure we were on time this year. Kaitlyn was raring to go. But Renee was a bit more hesitant so I had to walk alongside of her, holding her hand. Just when she was feeling more comfortable and let go of my hand, some little girl came out of nowhere and rear-ended her, causing her to fall flat on her bottom on the gravel road. OUCH!! She immediately started crying and I rushed to her, scooped her up and loved on her. But the poor little thing was traumatized. When she finally stopped crying she said, "She didn't even stop and say sorry!" The next day she was still talking about it and said that the girl probably got a spank for doing that. At the end of the parade the kids have a Fun Fair, complete with cotton candy, popcorn, snowcones and jumping houses. It took Renee a while but she finally forgot about her sore bottom and had fun. Kaitlyn was much more independent this year and could do most of the games on her own. They loved it. Kaitlyn doesn't like cotton candy so I got to enjoy that.

Here are a bunch of pictures. There was a smudge on my camera lense which I didn't discover for a few days. Sorry about that. Hopefully you can still enjoy them.

Talk about attitude.....Renee has got one for sure in that picture! Kaitlyn looks like a biker-babe with that headband on.

Happy Birthday Hubby

2008-06-23T22:49:00.002-04:00

Today is Dirk's birthday. I baked him a German chocolate cake with pecan coconut frosting and he grilled some steaks. We also had baked sweet potatoes. YUM!! I felt bad that he had to cook his own dinner but that was his choice. Maybe he doesn't trust me with the grill.

Our power went out this morning so I ended up baking the cake at Mom's apartment. First time her oven was ever used.

Dirk, you are a wonderful husband, father, son, provider and friend. Thanks for being in my life and inviting me to share it with you. I love you!

By the way, he's 44 now.

Another shot taken by Kaitlyn.

My Little Dancing Queen

2008-06-23T22:21:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was Kaitlyn's first dance recital. She was in one number, called "Bubble Kisses". She had invited her best friend Sophia and sister Isabella, along with Grandma Ziegler and Mattie. (Amy had to work and Grandma Ann was out of town or they would have been there too.) Her teacher had promised them that if they did a good job she would give them a goldfish because the song was about a fish. Kaitlyn did an awesome job.....the best of the class, of course! She was so excited to get that goldfish and named her Goldie.

Another highlight was wearing make-up and having her hair in a bun. I've been braiding her ponytail and that made for an easy bun. It looked so cute!

After the recital she did a private show for the Faro family. She would have invited the whole neighborhood I think. She was still dancing at 10 last night.

She likes to put different CD's on and make up her own moves. She's quite the little choreographer!

Classic Renee

2008-06-16T15:20:00.003-04:00

I keep forgetting to post this hilarious story about Renee. It happened months ago and I know most of my faithful readers (all 3 of you) have heard it but I'm posting it anyways. Sort of my journal.

We were talking about what you want to be when you grow up. Kaitlyn has consistently said she wants to be an artist, a teacher, a babysitter, a mom etc. It may change a little but the first job is ALWAYS an artist. Well, Renee wanted to get in on the conversation too. She perks up, "I want to be a pig!" She has told us this more than once. We still laugh and laugh about this.

Notice what animal Renee is riding on the merry-go-round?

Father's Day

2008-06-16T14:53:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated with Dirk's father. His dad didn't want me to have to cook him a big meal so suggested we just go out. (That was fine with me because I had cooked a big meal on Mother's Day so didn't really get a break. I'll take one whenever I can get one.) We thought it would be fun to just grab a good burger (that means no McDonald's) and then go to Bazil's on the lake for funnel cake. So we went to their house first, in Greece. Then we drove to Penfield to go to Bill Gray's. I know what you're thinking........I agree!!! There are closer Bill Gray's than going to Panarama Plaza!! Anyways, they didn't really want funnel cake so we headed back to Greece. At the price of gas, I was a little annoyed but bit my tongue. (I guess I'm not really biting my tongue by posting on the internet for all the world to see.) We ended up going to Charlotte Beach, which isn't too far from their house. The girls loved the merry-go-round and the playground. We got ice cream so that made me happy!

Last week one day Kaitlyn wanted me to straighten her hair with my flat iron. It was a humid day so it didn't get very straight but she was thrilled.

At the end of May Renee had her first dentist appointment. Considering it was with a complete stranger and not the hygenist that we know who does Kaitlyn's teeth, she did OK. Kaitlyn loves Michelle and Renee has met her several times so I was annoyed when someone else was scheduled for Renee. Michelle had Princess toothbrushes too. The stranger tried to entice Renee with a Lightning McQueen brush. Yeh right.......my little dress-up queen had her mind set on Princesses!! She wouldn't get on the chair so finally just sat on my lap. I passed the camera to Kaitlyn to capture this moment of history and held on to Renee.

This One Takes All

2008-06-06T08:37:00.002-04:00

We have very limited kitchen counter space so we have to keep our toaster in the cupboard. Lately it's been acting up when you plug it in. In fact, the other morning it wouldn't work and I had to plug it in and keep flipping the plug probably 5 times before it finally worked. All that introduction for today's "quote of the day".

Kaitlyn usually watches PBS Kids while I shower and then we get breakfast. Well, this morning when I came downstairs, she told me that she had already made waffles for she and Renee. "I didn't have any trouble with the toaster. I just plugged it in and it worked." Here's my favorite part........"Maybe I'm smarter than you and that's why it worked."

Graduation

2008-05-21T22:48:00.003-04:00

Kaitlyn graduated from Pre-K last week. She was soooo excited but nervous too. At one point she told me she was just going to mouth the words to all the songs and Miss Becca would think she was singing. But she didn't. She had a great time and sang her little heart out. I knew she would. She had her hair in 2 french braids for 2 reasons: she likes it that way and more importantly, to keep her hat on.

Here are the Buono girls. They are the best of friends. Sophia and Kaitlyn have been together for 2 years now. We're anticipating many years of friendship with them. (Isabella and Renee are only about 3 weeks apart.) The Buono's live down the street, in the new section. Almost every week we get together for a play date, alternating houses. They eat lunch at each other's house and it gives me a free afternoon every other week. It's funny how both of the sets of sisters have tried things to eat at the other house: my girls like orange slices now and the Buono girls like egg salad now. A positive effect of peer pressure.

Kaitlyn, Sophia and Samantha

Where's April?

2008-05-08T14:53:00.006-04:00

What happened to April??? I just realized I never posted the whole month!! As you all know, I went to Florida for 6 days the end of April. This was a pretty big thing for me because I had never left my children overnight, let alone for 6 nights!!! Aunt Ginny kept them the first day and I had to chuckle when she told me she only caught Renee slapping Kaitlyn twice. Grandma Ann kept them the next day and they had a ball going to the church garage sale with her. They came home with several "treasures": an ironing board and iron (which I have yet to see them play with), 2 little parasols and a card game that we put in!! Guess who bought the card game? (Yep, Renee.) Dirk took 2 days off from school to be with them the other days.

The purpose of my trip to Florida was to fly back home with my mom. She doesn't fly well, especially without my dad. She was very appreciative and did great. I also helped her clean her house once the moving truck left. Nothing too difficult. Bev, Ginny and Harold had already done the work of packing.

The girls did great without me. So did Dirk. He managed to get Kaitlyn's hair combed and it looked great. He even did some laundry. I had bought little gifts for the girls and each night they would open them. They loved them and were a little sad Mommy was coming home because they knew that meant no more presents.

Here are some pictures of the huge moving truck. The driver, Aaron, already had 2 other loads on the truck when he picked up Mom's stuff.

Uncle Bob and I measured the truck. It's 13.5', in case you're ever curious when those 18 wheelers fly by you on the thruway.

The cab was bigger than most of them. Aaron told Ginny he had a double bed, fridge and shower in there. Probably a microwave too.

I don't think I ever posted pictures of Kaitlyn's big mouth-hole. She pulled the second tooth at Hoselton Toyota the end of March. Oh yea, we got a new car the beginning of April. Toyota RAV4. LOVE it.

And of course, what would a post be without some wacky pictures of Renee? Here she is riding her bike, wearing her "tap"shoes, dress-up skirt, undershirt, pearls and headband. What a girl!!

Easter Part 2

2008-03-30T21:22:00.003-04:00

It is our tradition that Grandma Ann helps the girls color Easter eggs on Good Friday. They always look forward to it and I think she does too. This year Renee could really do hers without dumping them in the colors and cracking them.

I'm not sure why neither of the girls would look at the camera but Grandma is happy.
The finished product! I decided to just leave them out on the table this year, instead of "hiding" them in the fridge. I'm out $1.59 for hours of enjoyment as our centerpiece. No egg salad out of them this year!!

The girls were very excited about wearing their new dresses on Easter Sunday.

You Heard It Here First

2008-03-23T11:46:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter!

Next-door neighbor/nephew Ben is home for Easter and he brought a "friend". Her name is Lindsay and she is simply adorable! He brought her over to meet us yesterday and the girls were instantly smitten with her. They showed her their rooms, their new Easter dresses, etc. They sang and danced for her and snuggled on her lap for a story. It was love at first sight.

Kaitlyn has obviously been watching too many Disney movies about princesses and love because she asked us several times before meeting Lindsay if they were in love. She often makes that comment about lots of people and even animals (must be Lady and the Tramp's influence there.) Well, the front door was barely closed and she blurts out, "I think they're in love!" So it's official! You heard it here first!

I will post some pics later of the girls in their new Easter dresses.

Proud Mommy

2008-03-13T12:48:00.002-04:00

Not much to blog about these days. But I did want to share a few "tidbits" about Kaitlyn. I had my parent/teacher conference this week with Miss Becca. (I find it weird to be sitting on the parent side of the table after so many years of being the teacher.) She said Kaitlyn is doing "exceptional work and is going to be very successful in kindergarten." I think so too but it's nice to hear it from an outside source. One thing that cracked me up was the classroom routine part: I follow the classroom rules. She got a 3 (which means she has mastered that skill). Becca wrote "she can tell you every rule too". She loves reporting all about school, who the VIP was, what they brought for Show-and Tell, what letters she has in common with them, etc. One of the other moms overheard her telling me some of that stuff the other day and was jealous because her son tells her NOTHING! The other day after supper the girls were playing school and of course, Kaitlyn was the teacher. Renee had a pretend name and I could hear Kaitlyn calling on her and saying things like, "Raise your hand if you know......"

Renee is still coming up to our room in the middle of the night. I FINALLY broke out the sleeping bag on the floor next to my side and the past few nights she crawls in it and I get to go right back to sleep.

The girls are going to watch Cinderella II right now so I must end this post for now. Maybe I'll add more later.

Breakfast in Bed and Sunday School

2008-02-24T14:18:00.006-05:00

This morning I heard Kaitlyn get up and go downstairs. She often turns on the TV and watches whatever is on PBS at 7:30. (I think it's Sesame Street on Sundays.) But this morning she didn't turn on the TV. Instead she went down to the family room. When I went down to check on her she was loading up a tray and was very disappointed I found her. "Mommy, I was fixing you breakfast in bed with my pretend food." We took the tray up to Daddy and he got some special food. Toast, tea, syrup to put on the toast, bacon, grapes, etc. She was so cute!

Renee is into purses and bags. She loves to carry around her "stuff" in some sort of container, either a purse, gift bag or basket. Well, today she decided to take a purple sparkly gift bag to church. In it she had her Little Mermaid phone, a Tastefully Simple order form and a canning jar we were going to return to Mary Price. I was told that during prayer time in Sunday School, she was talking on the phone. When the college girl told her to put it away Renee told her "I'm talking to my friend." The girl took it anyways and Renee wasn't too pleased but didn't create a stink. She never asked for it back until the end when she told Mrs. "Braper" that she needed her phone. She is one social little butterfly. She probably had 11 texts by the time class was over! ☺

After church the girls were watching a video. I got some precious snuggle time in with Renee. I love when she's like that!

Renee's First Hair Cut

2008-02-22T10:57:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday I took Renee to get her hair cut for the first time. It needed to be trimmed badly! She was all excited about going to "Lino's office" but once we got there she shut down. She wouldn't get in the chair and just clung to me. So I went first. After my trim she was ready, although she wouldn't let Debra put a little towel around her neck under the cape. But other than that, she did great. Debra didn't take a lot off but enough to get rid of the dead ends (baby curls) and it looks cute. Renee seemed happy but since then she still won't let me comb it every day without a fight and keeping clips in it is so hard! It's so fine that they don't stay and she could care less if her hair is in her face!

History in the Making!

2008-02-17T16:11:00.003-05:00

Last night I was checking Kaitlyn's toothbrushing skills. When she went to spit, there was blood in the sink and her bottom tooth was slanted in. I got all excited and showed her and she turned on the drama queen act and cried and cried. She was excited, nervous, scared and just plain didn't want it to come out. She wouldn't even let me touch it! Probably didn't trust me. HA!

This morning when she woke up she came running to tell Daddy (he wasn't home last night) and was all excited about it. She told me she's ready for it to come out. Well, it happened during Sunday School. She said she was wiggling it with her tongue and then reached in and pulled it and out it came. She was SOOOO excited!! My little baby girl is getting all grown up!! I'm not sure I'm ready for this!!

Funny Stories

2008-02-16T14:49:00.003-05:00

I have 2 funny stories to tell, one about each girl.

Story #1: Several weeks ago Renee came up to our room in the middle of the night. As I was carrying her back downstairs she told me there were FISH in her bed. I had to ask her again because I thought I had heard wrong. She wanted me to crawl in with her so I did. My toes felt something cold. I reached down and picked up a little rock that she had gone to sleep holding in her hand. When I showed her what it was she started to move away and got a look of sheer terror on her face. I had to reassure her that it was not a fish, just her rock. She still talks about fish in her bed. Just yesterday she told me the little birds on her Cinderella sheets were the fish. But she refuses to give up those sheets so she's stuck with sleeping with fish!

Story #2: Mondays are almost always cleaning days at out house. Both of the kids know this and don't complain anymore. They know if I can get it all done on that day, that gives us the rest of the week to "play". So this past Monday started like any other. Until I turned on the TV and discovered no school. I got out the vacuum cleaner and started in with my routine. Well, Kaitlyn wanted to help me in the worst way. She got the dustcloth out and dusted the TV. Then she put on her little half-apron and proceeded to dust the piano and the windowsill. She told me she didn't want to get any dust on her pants. (Besides, Alice on the Brady Bunch wears an apron.) Then she went upstairs and made her bed and mine. She wanted to vacuum the kitchen so I let her. Earlier in the morning she had gotten out the toaster, plugged it in and was putting the waffles in when I discovered her. So she was telling me she could get her own breakfast. She had also gotten out the gallon of milk but since it was full had not made an attempt to pour it. Thank goodness!!

The next day at school Becca overheard her telling her friends all of the things she had done the day before. Her next comment made Becca turn away, she was laughing so hard. "I clean, dust, make the beds, and get my own breakfast. I'm pretty much the housekeeper at my house." Boy, my life just got much easier!

Here We Go Again

2008-02-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

When Kaitlyn was 3 1/2 she had trouble staying in her bed all night. She would crawl in bed with us in the middle of the night and then I would try to carry her back downstairs once she fell back asleep. If Dirk carried her she threw a fit. Most of the time she wanted me to stay in her room with her. So I lost a lot of sleep until we finally started putting a sleeping bag down next to my side of the bed. We did that for a LONG time. Now it's not an issue for her; it's Renee's turn.

The other night I rolled over to discover Renee next to me in bed. I have no idea how long she had been there. I didn't even hear the stairs squeak. Little stinker! I carried her back down and stayed for a few minutes until I thought she was back to sleep. Wrong! She was back at my side of the bed in a matter of 5 minutes. So I tried again. This time I stayed longer only to have her reappear once again. At that point I was too tired to deal with it any longer so I let her sleep with us. Kaitlyn appeared at 6:15 that morning, so excited about an upcoming field trip she couldn't sleep any longer. Short night! Last night I ended up loosing close to 2 hours of sleep. NO MORE! The sleeping bag is coming out tonight!

Kaitlyn's field trip was to Bright Ravens Gymnastics. She was so excited about wearing her leotard and being able to jump in this big pit of foam blocks. We had gone there last year so she was familiar with it. They also have a big blow-up slide, almost identical to the one she broke her elbow on 1 year ago.

Can you tell that Renee picked out her outfit? Fashion Diva #2. If you look closely, you can see Kaitlyn's underwear sticking out of the leotard.

We frosted heart-shaped cut-out cookies yesterday afternoon. I gave them each 2 cookies to frost and they thought that was great. They got to eat one right away and the other was for supper.

Renee can be very stubborn about what she wears. Lately she likes to wear stockings but no skirt or dress, just a shirt. Last night she got into the headbands. What a goofball she can be!

She calls her little shoes her "tap shoes".

Kaitlyn and I (mostly me) made some Valentine ponytail holders. Here's one. Isn't it cute? I'll try to post a picture of the other ones we made. We did 3 of them. I found the idea in the Family Fun magazine.

Nothing New

2008-02-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Not much has been happening in our household lately. Renee is fully potty trained now (YIPPEE) and is so proud of herself. We've been putting a diaper on her at night but really don't need to; it's dry every morning. She has been coming up to our bedroom every night around 2 so I get out of bed and carry her back down to her own bed. Sometimes she wants me to lay down on her floor. I tell her it's just for a few minutes but I often wake up 2 hours later. Last night I put her back in her own bed at 2 but she came back at 4 or 5 so I let her crawl in with me. She is such a snuggler and loves the security of being close to me. I don't always appreciate her knees in my back or her feet on my head but it's just a season. I'll enjoy it while I can.

Kaitlyn was supposed to have a field trip last Wed. but when we showed up at the place, they didn't have power. She just had a regular school day and the trip is rescheduled for this week. She and Renee got to spend time at their friend's house that afternoon instead. They ate lunch with Sophia and Isabella and played until 3. I ran some errands and got some things done here at home. Then on Sat. they came to our house for a few hours so their mom could get some things done. Sophia is in Kaitlyn's class and and was last year too. Isabella is 3. They also have a baby sister. They live down the street, in the new section, so will ride the bus together next year. We are anticipating many years of friendship with them.

Dirk started some new classes last week. He has 4 preparations now (instead of 3) and teaches 5 periods. When the little girls were here on Sat. he went over to Joel's for several hours. Too much estrogen in the house I guess.

Kaitlyn has been wanting to pick out her own clothes the past few weeks. Sometimes she does OK. Other times not so good. Here's my little fashion diva.

Potty Training and Other Lessons Learned

2008-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I think we're done with diapers!!! I'm doing the happy dance. It's been almost 5 1/2 years with at least 1 in them. I know other families do it for longer stretches so I'm not complaining too much.

When we ran out of the last package of diapers I refused to buy any more. I kept telling Renee that that was it, no more. When they're gone, they're gone. We did have some pull-ups left over from Kaitlyn and Lauryn Arcega so I figured I was pretty safe in telling her that. She had a MAJOR accident all over the carpet in the living room one day and wore a pull-up the rest of the day. The next day the accident was on the hardwood floor. Both times she was very apologetic and upset that that had happened. So I began to wonder if maybe she wasn't ready to be done with diapers. But yet, when she would wet the pull-up, she would change it herself. She knew what was happening. CONTROL!!!

One Friday when it came time to go to Morning Moms she wanted to wear underwear. No problem, just sit on the potty before we go. NO WAY!! Thus began the "Battle of the Wills". You can guess who won. (I think that was the day the accident was on the hardwood later that afternoon.) She managed to hold it until after lunch and then the floodgates opened up. She started asking for a diaper. I found some in a size bigger than what she normally wears, leftover from Kaitlyn. (That sounds terrible.....leftover diapers. They were never used!!) She was happy again.

On Thursday of this past week she decided she wanted to wear underwear. She has only had 1 little accident since then and is so proud of herself. She sits on her own potty and goes all by herself, without me asking her if she has to. She is loving the M&M's and also gets 1 for just "brying". That is not a typo. She has trouble saying certain r-blends. (Sidenote: she keeps her CLothes in the CLoset now. No more flothes or floset.) I have said for months that she is the kid that will one day wake up and decide to be done with diapers. Why did I think I could decide which day that would be?? Duh, Barb.

So what are the other lessons learned?
1. I would be a great mom if it weren't for the children! There are some days they know how to push my buttons and the fuse is way too short. The morning of the Battle of the Wills was one of them. I went to Morning Moms knowing I had totally blown it with both of them. I asked for prayer for patience and wisdom and of course, started crying.

2. Here's what the Lord is teaching me. When I admit to other people my need for Him, that I can't do this parenting thing on my own or in my own strength, things improve. I see a marked change in their attitudes and behaviors. Or is the change in mine? I'm not sure but life is more enjoyable. When I forget and try to fly solo, I don't get anywhere!

3. Pregnancy, labor and delivery were the easiest parts of motherhood. Morning sickness, heartburn, frequent bathroom visits, middle-of-the-night feedings, teething, fussiness, spit-up; you get the idea; that all wanes compared to toddlerhood and preschooler attitude. I know the days ahead will be trying and I will need to be reminded continuously to admit my need for help. I know that I never have to do this job in my own strength. When I am on my knees and am humbled before the Lord, I am strong. I also know that for me, there will never be a job that is more rewarding than motherhood!

4. The Lord entrusted me with these 2 precious little girls for a reason and a season. As I have watched my sibling's children grow up, I know it happens so quickly. Some of them are married and having their own children. Others are in college. The years seem like days so I am trying to savor each moment with my own children.

One of my favorite things to do is snuggle with the girls. They love to sit on my lap while I read to them but seem to start fighting about who has more room, etc. Kaitlyn gets the short end of the stick these days. She got her snuggles in before Renee was born so I think it evens out, right?? Renee is a hand-holder. She will reach out and hold my hand when we're walking to the mailbox or down the stairs or through the church lobby. I love the feel of her little hand in mine. Reminds me of when I was a little girl and would hold my daddy's hand. I loved the feeling of security as my hand was in his big and strong, yet gentle hand. How I long to be able to hold his hand one more time. But I am reminded that I have a Heavenly Father who is always willing to hold my hand. I just need to reach out to him.

I'll leave you with a recent picture of my Sweet Renee, wearing an antique dress. I wore it as a 3 year old. Polly Flinders dress. Love the smocking!

Pretend Game

2008-01-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last night we were having some family time. The girls like when I light a bunch of candles and we keep the lights off. So that's what we did. Kaitlyn taught us a new "game" called the pretend game. You have to stand in a circle and walk around while the music plays. When she turns the music off you have to stop and do what she tells you to do. For example, pretend you are sweeping. When the music starts, you walk until it stops.

Renee really got into the pretending. Pretend you are eating an apple. Renee is chomping away. Pretend you are frosting a cake. Dirk is pretending to be licking the frosting off the knife. When I asked Renee if she was licking the frosting, her response made us all burst out laughing. "No, I'm not licking the frosting. I still have apple in my mouth."

The other thing we've been doing as a family is watching "Wheel of Fortune". Kaitlyn loves to call out letters and critique Vannah's dresses. One night she had on a hideous brown dress and that's all Kaitlyn could talk about.

Christmas Update Part 2

2008-01-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

I thought I would post some more pictures from Christmas. The first few are from a few days before Christmas. I was busy in the kitchen, fixing a nice Sunday dinner for some people who ended up not showing. Communication error........I was so upset. Anyways, the girls were playing upstairs and Dirk was somewhere. Renee came down to show me what they were up to. Once again, my little Picasso. What is it about markers and that child? I grabbed the camera and then called to Dirk to clean up his daughter. (Yep, she's always his when she's naughty.)

I love this next one of Renee. She can always make me smile, as exasperating as she is. The lamb outfit was her Halloween costume from a year ago.

These 2 are from the Ziegler family gathering. Gabriel, Joshua and Kaitlyn are all 5, born within a 20 day stretch in Sept. Lauren turned 3 in May.

Notice Renee's skirt. It's the new one Grandma bought her. You can't tell from this picture but she does have on the wings that came with it.

Now you can see her wings a little better.

I'll leave you with one more picture of Renee. I was cleaning out her closet and came upon a bin of my baby clothes. In it was this dress. I wore it in Ginny's wedding in 1970. I thought maybe Renee would like to pretend she was Princess Belle. Instead, she called herself Princess Buttercup, from a book we have about little fairy princesses named after flowers. I guess it makes sense, since I was a flowergirl in it. She was a little upset that we didn't have a basket for her to pick flowers with though.

Christmas Update

2008-01-06T21:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted so thought I would share some of my favorite memories and photos from Christmas 2007. As always, we went to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church. We went to the "family friendly" service and I decided that I can't wait 'til the girls are old enough that we can go back to the traditional service. I guess I'm just too traditional when it comes to carols being sung. Give me the piano and organ versus guitars and drums and newer renditions. I do love looking around the sanctuary when all of the candles are lit and we're singing Joy to the World, the Lord is Come! Renee insisted on having her own candle and I managed to hold her off until the final verse of Joy to the World before giving in to her. Made me a LOT nervous though. They wore their sage green dresses and looked adorable.

The girls on Christmas morning before opening their presents. For some reason, Kaitlyn wanted to get dressed but Renee was content to stay in her pj's. They slept in until 7:30 which surprised me. They were both so excited about Santa coming. A few years ago, Kaitlyn was totally against the idea of Santa coming into our house. Plus, we don't have a fireplace. So we told her he would just leave the presents on the front porch and Mommy or Daddy would bring them in in the morning. This year she was explaining the whole thing to Renee. I guess that explanation worked for her.

Both of the girls love the movie "Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses". Kaitlyn was so excited when she opened this gift. Renee also got a Barbie but not the same one.

Here's my wonderful husband, opening one of his gifts. They're miniature figurine tanks and soldiers for a game he plays with "the guys".

I made a calendar for our mothers with photos of the girls. They both loved them.

Renee is loving on "Brandma". She used to call her Mama but now it's Brandma.

Some new dresses for the girl who loves to wear them, along with 3 new pairs of tights. Now if I could only get her to keep the tights on all day.

Kaitlyn finally got some dance leotards.

Both of the girls asked Santa for Polly Pockets. Kaitlyn wanted Jasmine and Renee wanted Cinderella. They were thrilled he remembered. In fact, on Christmas Eve, one of the last things Renee said before falling asleep was "I hope Santa brings me a Cinderella Polly Pocket." How could he deny that??

Grandma Ann and Grandpa Ray came over for brunch. They brought Renee a bed for her dolls. By this time Renee was dressed, complete with her ripped up old princess dress. I think she wore it 4 out of 7 days a week during the month of December. Grandma Ziegler made her a new dress-up skirt but she wasn't interested. But a few days later she bought her a tulle one with sparkly wings and the old one has now been replaced. YEH!!

First Haircut

2007-12-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

Most children have their first haircut during their first year of life. Not my kids. Kaitlyn just "achieved" that milestone this week. She never really needed one and when she finally did she didn't want one; was afraid and I didn't want to traumatize her too much. I took her with me about a year ago to see what it's like but she wasn't quite ready. We've talked about it the past month or so and she finally decided it would be OK. She was so excited and chatted with Debra the whole time. What a difference it made with her hair. But she didn't lose any of her curls. Guess they're not just baby curls. hehehe She ended up having about 2 inches cut off. I saved some for her baby book.

Here she is the next day at her school Christmas party. She is concentrating on putting beads on a pipe cleaner to make a candy cane. It always helps to stick out your tongue a little.

Christmas Program

2007-12-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday night was our Christmas program at church. Before the "real" show began, the 3-5 yr. olds sang 2 songs. Here are my 2 children: One is singing her little heart out and the other is silently saying "you can make me stand here but I'm NOT going to sing!" Can you guess who is saying that??

I know what you're thinking John. She is not picking at her fingers!

The first thing Renee said to me when they were done was "I don't want to do that again." Really? I thought you liked it. At least she didn't scream or walk off the stage. Could have been worse!

Pucker Up

2007-11-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

I meant to include this one from yesterday.

Pucker Up

2007-11-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

The girls were playing so nicely together this afternoon. Good thing, too, because I spent most of the afternoon on the couch. Last night my throat started hurting and I never got to sleep until close to 3. (I'm blaming the raspberry chai from Jitter's). So needless to say, I was exhausted today, my throat was still killing me and my whole body ached.

At one point in my dozing, Renee woke me up to show me what they were up to. All I can say is "thank goodness they're washable"!!! (The children and the markers).

Kaitlyn reserved her coloring for her knees but Renee went all out, covering her shins, both sides of her feet and hands. The lips are what really got me. I quickly grabbed the camera, took a few shots and then marched them up to the tub. When Dirk got home a little before 5 they were both in their pajammas.

Dirk was trying to get some cute pictures of the girls for our Christmas card this year. Here are a few possibilities.

They were so excited about the snow on the ground. They even attempted doing snow angels. They turned out more like leaf angels. But they had fun.

They love wearing their "twin dresses" from Amy's wedding. Last year they touched the top of their shoes. This year they're tea length but they don't care. They wore them all day on Sunday.

Reading level

2007-11-20T20:58:00.000-05:00

I saw this on another blog I frequent. Chek it out. You can find out the reading level of your blog. I feel smart........her reading level was only junior high. She has 3 kids.....must be that 3rd. child turned her brain to mush.

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Volunteering

2007-11-18T21:58:00.001-05:00

I have to tell this story before I forget it. Last Tuesday I volunteered in Kaitlyn's class. I had not arranged for anyone to watch Renee so I took her with me. I was hoping that was OK. She was actually pretty good but stayed pretty close to me. Kaitlyn, on the otherhand, could have cared less that I was there. She did her own thing. (Personally, I was happy about that. I remember having parents in my classroom and their kids were always hanging on them and it was so hard to pry them off of Mommy's side.)

I cut some things out for the children to use for their craft. Renee helped Mrs. Vicki put them at the tables. Later she helped picked out the snack and passed that out too. The funniest thing happened towards the end of the class. The letter for the week was "i" and the kids had made ice cream cones for their craft. They were all sitting on the rug for their last circle time and this time Renee was right up front next to Kaitlyn. Miss Becca called on each student and asked them what their favorite ice cream flavor is. When she finished, Renee stood up and started running to the back of the class, crying "Mommy, she didn't say MY name!" Poor little thing. Miss Becca quickly apologized and asked what her favorite is. By this time her head was buried in my shoulder but she quickly recovered and told her chocolate and returned to Kaitlyn's side. She was, afterall, a part of the class, at least for one day.

Tomorrow is Kaitlyn's VIP day at school. She has been looking forward to this for at least 2 weeks, planning what she would take for show-and-tell. All weekend she has told me she can't wait for her VIP day. I guess she really does believe it's "very important".

On a final note, way to go Brett and the Messiah Falcons!! You are off to Disney World and the Final Four for the zillionth time in a row. You guys ROCK!! I guess that means we'll we watching the CBS program "The Road to the Final Four" with great interest yet again this year. We're really proud of you!

Frick or Freat

2007-11-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

As you all know, Wednesday was Halloween. Kaitlyn had her party at school and the parents were invited to come back for it. (Thank you Becca.) Last year Kaitlyn wanted to be a fairy and this year was no different. She was perfectly content to wear her glitter skirt and wings from the dollar store. Yes, I'm a big spender, I know. Even seeing her friends in cute "real" costumes didn't faze her. She was excited to wear her pumpkin shirt from Amy and John and her wings. Miss Vicki fixed Renee a plate a goodies and they shared a chair and looked like they actually liked each other.

The highlight of the day, of course, came after supper. We had an old Ziegler traditional Halloween supper of pancakes and then the girls got their "costumes" on. Dirk took them to about 10 houses while I stayed home to pass out the candy. We had maybe 15 kids, and they were done by 7:30. Dirk and the girls never got home until close to 8:30. Smart planning on my part, huh??? Renee wore her little pink princess dress-up outfit. (She wears that at least 5 times a week.) She was excited to go "frick or freating" As soon as they got home, Kaitlyn dumped out her candy and counted it. "Mommy, I have 24 peices!"

I got my hair all cut off and am going to send my 10" ponytails to Locks of Love in the next day or 2. I like the new do and Kaitlyn loves it. She has told me many times that she really likes it.

When I made pancakes the other night I tried a new recipe. They were pumpkin pancakes and they were really good.

Random "F"oughts

2007-10-24T16:39:00.000-04:00

I've given up trying to post pictures. I thought maybe I could put some on a thumbdrive and load them off the laptop but that didn't work either. It's totally frustrating me.....I can usually figure things out.

We are in the process of having our house painted. It's still going to be white but no more green shutters. They will be blue (oh surprise!) to match the trim on our shed. For those of you who don't know me real well, blue is my favorite color and there are 5 rooms in our house that are blue: the master bedroom/bath, the guest room, the girl's bathroom and the kitchen. The previous owner loved green, thus the green shutters.

The girls continue to keep me on my toes. Renee's behaviour has mellowed a bit this past month. AMEN!! I strongly believe in the power of prayer. I think my reaction to her has changed a lot too. She hasn't had me in tears for several weeks. In fact, I really enjoy my mornings with her while Kaitlyn is in school. She loves to play with playdough and we do that just about every day. She is a mama's girl at bedtime, unless she knows I won't be home. She will ask me, "Do you have a party tonight?" If I do, she is so good about hugging and kissing me goodbye and that's that. Kaitlyn still likes to do the cling-on thing, complete with dramatic tears. "I just love you so much I don't want you to go!"

Kaitlyn continues to love school. Miss Becca is all-knowing and poor Mom is NOT. One day she told me about something she learned at school.
K: Mommy, if you put a t and h together they make the "fa" sound.
B: You mean "th". You have to stick your tongue out a little. It's called a tongue cooler because you're blowing on your tongue. (I was so proud of myself for remembering some of my multi-sensory reading stuff.)
K: No Mom, It makes the "fa" sound. Samanfa has one in her name.
B: No honey, it's SamanTHa.
K: How do you know?
B: Because I taught second grade for 12 years and I know.
K: Well, you've been home for a long time. Miss Becca said it's "fa".

There you have it. I know nofing!!

Kaitlyn Update and Message at Midnight

2007-10-06T15:33:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn had her 5 yr. check-up last week. She gained 4 lbs. in the year too, just like Renee. She's up to 35 lbs. which is the 20th. percentile. She grew 3.5 inches and is in the 64th. percentile for height.

Last night I was indulging in one of my guilty pleasures: blog-stalking. I read a few from family members, friends and aquaintances and a few of complete strangers. One girl just gave birth to quads a month ago. Another is a stay-at-home Cnristian mom to 3. I love reading all the great writing styles. I have never been much of a writer. In fact, I hate to write. I struggled with that as a teacher because I didn't want my students to pick up on my aversion to writing. My father was an English teacher for close to 30 years but I did not inherit any of his ability. All of my siblings got it and there wasn't anything left for me. I am pretty good at the mechanics of writing though. Things like spelling, grammar, etc.

When I went in to tell Kaitlyn goodnight before heading up to my room, she woke up briefly. She stretched out her little arm to touch me. Here's our brief conversation.
K: Hi Mommy. You know what?
B: What Sweetie?
K: I love you. Then she went back to sleep with a smile on her face. Completely made my day!!!!

Look for some pictures soon.

She's on the chart!

2007-09-19T21:33:00.000-04:00

Christine finally updated her blog so I better get on it too. Renee had her 3 yr. check-up this week. She was great about getting on the scale and letting them listen to her heart, etc. She weighed in at a whopping 26 lbs!! That's a gain of only 4 lbs. in a year. (I can gain that over Thanksgiving dinner!) But she is now on the weight chart, in the 8th. percentile. Height-wise, she grew 4" and is now in the 67th. percentile.

Kaitlyn absolutely loves school. However, she gets a nasty attitude almost everyday on the way home, complaining how she wants to stay all day. The fighting between them starts almost immediately.......drives me insane! She also started dance lessons and loves that too. There are only 2 kids in her class, counting her. The other little girl is only 3 (much to Renee's displeasure) and comes to class dressed in a little tutu outfit. Kaitlyn is lucky if she has sweats. But I'm sure the other little girl doesn't have the natural ability that Kait has. ☺

Kaitlyn's birthday is next Wed. Dirk has Open House that night so we're not celebrating until the following night. We'll be taking the plunge and going to Chuck-E-Cheese for the games, then to McDonald's and back home for cake. She's invited David and Samantha, her nursery school buddies. When I asked her about inviting Joshua she told me he knew all about Chuck-E-Cheese but she didn't think the other kids did so she wanted to take them instead. Renee is convinced that David and Daniel will be going with her.

I judge each day by how many meltdowns Renee and I have. We have such a rollercoaster relationship. I love when she falls asleep near me and I'm reminded that she can be very affectionate and loving. There are some days she has me in tears more than once. (Those new birth control pills don't help my emotions any!!) When she's by herself, she plays very well. Kaitlyn does too. But the 2 of them together can be dangerous. You never know what will set Renee off on a tantrum or how she will lash out. Pinching, hitting, biting kicking........any or all of the above. I just keep praying that someday (soon please) she'll outgrow this stage and the 2 of them will be best friends.

I have not been able to post any pictures from my mac. Any suggestions?

End of Summer

2007-09-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have tried several times to post some of my favorite pictures from the summer but for some reason they won't upload. (Is anyone else having trouble upleading pictures??) So you'll have to settle for some cute quotes.

Sunday night at the lake we were heading up to the tabernacle. Dirk was already at the gazeebo on the laptop and the girls were on their bikes. Kaitlyn rode ahead of us so say hi to Dirk. Here's our conversation:
B: Did you say hi to Daddy?
K: Yes. But I'm getting older now so I call him Dad. It's a much older name.

Renee turned 3 on Aug. 25. (Sorry, no pictures. See above comment.) She was excited about opening presents but go all embarrassed when we sahg to her. As I think back to her vocabulary 1 year ago, I'm amazed at how far she's come! Last year she barely said mommy, let along sentences. I love to hear her say things like clothes, closet, driveway, van. Here's how they come out: flothes, floset, riveway, ban.

My children are exposed to Tastefully Simple products all the time. We love the food. Renee even recognizes the logo if it's on a mug or a shirt. I think she's gifted but Dirk says it's just product recognition. I took them bowling last week when Dirk was gone and there was a TS consultant at the bowling center. She recognized her banner. They had fun bowling. Thank goodness for bumpers.......but I should have gotten a few more strikes!

Stop the craziness

2007-08-29T13:19:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Labor Day weekend is just around the corner. The summer has gone by quickly, as it always does. We have had a good summer, although there are days I would love to have a few hours to myself!! Some days the girls play wonderfully together. Other days the fighting starts almost immediately. I am looking forward to Kaitlyn starting Pre-K and getting back into a routine.

Screamin' Girls

2007-08-08T22:42:00.000-04:00

I have not been good at this blog thing this summer. Sorry. I promise I will try to do better this month or next.

When Dirk and I first moved into our house, the girls across the street were fairly young. They used to be loud and obnoxious when they were playing outside or swimming in their pool. We affectionately called them the screamin' girls. Well, that title has now bitten us back!!! Today I was going to run down to IGA and Renee wanted to go with me. Not a problem, or so I thought. Yes, I was being lazy and was going to take the blue car. She wanted to go in the van and REFUSED to get in the car. So I told her I was going to go without her. She didn't care. She stood by the van and screamed. I wasn't gone very long but....you guessed it. She was still standing by the van when I got home, screaming. I had to carry her into the house, all the while kicking and screaming. She continued screaming in her room for another 15 minutes or so. Tonight at bedtime she screamed for 30 minutes straight!! That girl is one STUBBORN little girl!!

Sometimes Kaitlyn gets into the screaming act. She's much too old to be doing that! Can't wait for school to start. Sorry Becca.

"Daddy said"

2007-07-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

Renee has been learning how to play her parents. Whenever she wants to do something, she'll tell me "Daddy said......" For example, when she wanted to have fruit snacks the other day, I told her no, it was too close to dinner. Her response: "Daddy said I could have fruit snacks." Of course, Daddy didn't say anything of the sort. Who taught her that???

The other night she and Kaitlyn were playing in the driveway. They started fighting over the fire truck. Kaitlyn didn't give her a turn quick enough so she took matters into her own hands. Or rather, mouth. Yep......she gave Kaitlyn a big bite on the upper arm. A full mouth imprint!! Luckily it didn't break the surface but it is still bruised 2 days later. Who is teaching her these things???

Kaitlyn and I were running errands the other day and were talking about going to Pre-K in the fall. I told her John wouldn't be able to pick her up like last year. She told me. "I know and I'm very sad about it."

Family Camp

2007-07-19T10:18:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the trailer for Family Camp. The kids loved riding their bikes and playing with their friends. They were both exhausted by the end of the week and it took another week just to recuperate. But all in all, it was a good week.

Dirk and I celebrated our 7th. wedding anniversary on June 30. We were at the lake so decided to go to dinner at Point Breeze. We went to this restaurant near the lake and then got ice cream at Brown's Berry Patch. We had to be back for church that night (I was teaching the 3 & 4 yr. old class) so was a quick time away. Amy and John kept the girls so we knew they were in excellent hands.

Here are a few pictures from the week.

God paints the most gorgeous pictures, doesn't He?

Fourth of July bike parade, despite some drizzle. They loved it!! Renee had her own little parade later, with some pre-teen neighbors.

Out of the Blue

2007-06-27T23:53:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I just laugh at the things that come out of my children's mouths. Today was no exception. We were in the driveway and Renee was riding her bike. She came up along side of my chair and told me she was going to park her bike right there. Then she flashed me a big smile. I told her, "I love you so much." Her response: drum roll please........"I'm John's girl!" No "I love you too, Mommy". John wasn't even at our house. She hasn't seen him since church on Sunday. Whatever happened to out of sight, out of mind??

Renee is now sleeping in a big girl bed. We set up the new bed (actually an antique bed from the Faros) but left her crib up, in case she decided against it at bedtime. But she was so excited about the new bed. Around 7:30 she told me she was so tired and wanted to go to bed. So she went upstairs and put on her own jammies. She loves her Cinderella jammies! Of course, when it was really bedtime a little later, she didn't go right to sleep but that's another story. But she did sleep in the new bed. On Monday Daddy took down the crib, much to her displeasure. She kept telling me, "He made a mess in my woom." She didn't care that the crib was gone; she just didn't like the disorganization of the dismantling process. Hmmm, where did she get THAT from?

Kaitlyn and I had a nice little songtime together. Renee wanted to listen to Steve Green on the CD player (Hide 'Em in Your Heart scripture songs) but Kaitlyn suggested that I play the piano and they could sing along to the piano instead. So that is exactly what we did. I've borrowed a book of the music from a friend and Kaitlyn sang her little heart out!

Dirk needed to get some video footage of the stained glass window at church for a wedding video he's working on. He took the girls with him and taped them singing and dancing on the platform, holding the microphones. I know what you're thinking John. Those girls have too much church, right?

Ode to Benjamin

2007-06-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was also Ben's high school graduation. So in honor of our next door neighbor and nephew/cousin, this one is for you Ben.

I have watched you grow up, from the day you were born. In fact, I held you when you were barely an hour old. I have spent many fun times with you: numerous trips to the lake and Florida, Family Camp, babysitting you and your siblings and sharing a bedroom with you for 4 months before Dirk and I got married. I think of you whenever Kaitlyn watches Arthur. :)You have been mistaken for my son quite a few times, most recently when you went to Florida with the girls and I a year ago. I would be proud to be your mom anytime. Thanks for always making us laugh. We love you Benjamin.

Happy Birthday

2007-06-24T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm back. We were having some difficulty with the digital camera and I know the main reason anyone reads this blog is to see pics of the girls.

Yesterday was Dirk's birthday. We had a VERY leisurely day, including a family snuggle in our bed for a good hour. Kaitlyn is very much into gift-giving these days. She was sooo excited about the Father's Day gift she made for Dirk and also his father. She was equally excited for his birthday. She wanted him to open his presents after he woke up. Enjoy the pictures.

Megan Brown and Best Friend

2007-06-07T22:43:00.001-04:00

I have 2 stories to share tonight, one from each of the girls.

We were going to a birthday party in Spencerport today and on the way we were talking about who else lives there, etc. I reminded Kaitlyn that Megan Brown lives there but she'll be moving after she gets married. (Kaitlyn loves to call people by their first and last names: Megan Brown, Carrie Morgan, John Keller)

K: Who is she marrying?
B: A guy named Matt George.
K: So her name will be Megan George. I'll just call her Megan Curious George. Then she just started giggling.

Renee has been such a mommy's girl lately. Oh surprise! Today she wanted to sit on my lap at breakfast and when I told her she needed to sit on her own chair she protested. "Mommy, you're my best friend." I think I will remind her of this in 10 years when she thinks she's too cool to be seen with me.

Renee's Loose

2007-06-06T18:46:00.000-04:00

I don't have any fun pictures to post but thought I would ramble on about what we've been up to. I went to the Women of Faith conference this past weekend. It was wonderful. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The comedian, Anita Renfroe, was hilarious, as were the regular speakers. The messages were great and the music was too. Nicole C. Mullen has some serious muscles!

Renee can now escape from her crib. She was in time-out on Monday and refused to sit on the "time-out step" so I put her in her bed. A few seconds later I heard a little pitter patter on the floor and there she was. I finally had to put one of those doorknob covers on the inside of her room to keep her in there. This morning she got herself up and came up to my room to snuggle with me. I loved it!! She was content to snuggle with me for a good 15 minutes. But then she didn't want me to leave her and wanted to take a shower too. So, she had her first shower. I'm hoping she didn't enjoy it too much because I don't really want to shower with her everyday. Her favorite thing to say is "You're booty booty." in this little sing-song voice. (We call it nudety booty.)

I started selling Tastefully Simple gourmet food in April and had 2 parties this week. They both were good parties and well worth my time and effort. The girls don't like me leaving but that's part of why I'm doing it. :)

Weekend Update

2007-05-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

For some reason, our camera is telling me there are no pictures on the card. I know there are....I put them there myself. But for some reason, they're gone. Technology stinks sometimes! I had some cute ones of the cousins and roasting marshmallows.

We had a great weekend at the lake. The girls were so excited to be back in the trailer and the cottage. Kaitlyn woke up in the night one night; couldn't find her bunny. When I easily located him she said, "You can always find Bunny for me Mommy. Thanks." I was a little worried about Renee settling down and sharing a room with Kaitlyn but they did great. In the mornings Kaitlyn never woke her up. Just us.

On Sunday the Ziegler cousins came. The 3 youngest boys and my 2 girls had a great time together!! They played really well and shared so nicely. The Ziegler's had a campfire that night and Kaitlyn was upset with me because I made her go to bed. Mean Mommy!! We had had our campfire the night before but that didn't count I guess. Another time she got upset with me because she wanted to play newcome. Don't even ask me what it is, other than a game that the older kids love to play on the volleyball court. When I told her she couldn't go, she copped an attitude and said, "Mom, did you forget I'm 4 1/2?" My response: "I'm well aware of how old you are but you're still not playing." Take that!

We didn't even try to put Renee down for any naps so she was one tired girl. On the way home Monday night they both were sleeping by 7:50. Kaitlyn woke up briefly when we carried her in but Renee slept 'til we woke her Tuesday at 8:45 and then took a nap in the afternoon!

That about covers our weekend. We had a little rain in the night early Sunday morning. (Enough that it woke Kaitlyn up and she spent the rest of the night in our bed.)

Classic Renee

2007-05-30T21:01:00.001-04:00

I wanted to post some pictures from our Memorial Day weekend but am having trouble downloading them from the camera. So I decided to post a classic Renee shot. I know some of my faithful readers haven't seen this one. It was taken when we were in Florida. Big sister thought she was doing a good deed by giving her some markers and a coloring book. This is the result. Praise the Lord for washable markers!! And nothing got on Grandma's walls!

Breakfast Conversation

2007-05-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a short little conversation I had at breakfast this morning with Kaitlyn.

K: Mommy, when are we going to stop going to church.
B: Never. We'll always go to learn about Jesus and worship him.
K: Oh. And after we learn all about Jesus, then we'll become missionaries.

At 4 1/2 she gets the great commission.

I have some funny pictures to post but you'll have to wait until later for those. Stay tuned.

Gradulation

2007-05-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

Today was an exciting day in our household.....Gradulation day for Kaitlyn. (She didn't really graduate because she'll be going to Pre-K next year with Miss Becca as her teacher. YEH!!) She did get a certificate though. She was so excited about singing on stage. She had the pinkest cheeks and ears and the biggest smile. Grandma Ann came to see her sing, along with Mommy and Daddy and Renee. Hmmm......someone stood her up for guys night. LAME!

After the ceremony we had cookies in the gym and we were able to get some pictures with her good buddies: Tenley, Samantha and David. Renee has declared her affection for David as well and has decided she wants to marry him too.

It is Better to Give than to Recieve

2007-05-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn demonstrated this biblical principle on Mother's Day. I was just drifting back to sleep at 6:30 (after making an unexpected airport run at 4:30.....that's a whole other story) and she came up to our room excitedly. Instead of coming to my side of the bed like she usually does, she went to Dirk's.

K: Daddy, can Mommy open up her presents now?
D: No, not yet. It's not wake-up time yet.
K: Well, when can she?

We finally held her off until 7 and then Dirk gave in. She had to wait until we were all ready for church to open the gift from she and Renee. Then, she must have asked me 17 times if I liked my presents, which of course I did. You can see her excitement in this picture.

Don't they look cute in their "twin" dresses from Amy and John's wedding?

Tomorrow is the big "Gradulation" day for Kaitlyn so look for some pictures soon.

Naptime

2007-05-10T13:38:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid that Renee's napping days are over. She willing climbs into her crib but plays or sings in it for several hours. At least I get some down time. Last week when I went in to get her up, she had taken off her shirt and stuffed her socks in her pocket. The jeans were on backwards....at least she made the attempt to put them back on. Thankfully, the diaper was still on!

Ya Gotta start sometime

2007-05-09T23:14:00.000-04:00

I decided I don't have a lot to post but something is better than nothing. We had a relaxing morning today. Kaitlyn and Renee play so well together these days. They wanted to have a picnic lunch in the backyard so we did. We even ate on a blanket instead of the picnic table. They are loving being able to ride their bikes......Renee can pedal hers as fast as Kaitlyn.

Tonight when I went in to see Renee sleeping, she had put her pillow at the other end of her crib, draped George and a fleece blanket over the side of the crib, and had "Woof Woof" right next to her. She had also stuffed her blankie inside her pajama leg so she had this huge bulge. What a goof! She can always put a smile on my face.